Oathkeeper's Dawn
by LoquitorLatinae
Summary: Riku's been dragged into a world of spirits and gods. What could they possibly want from him and what does any of it have to do with destiny and foregone oaths? Riku/Sora, hints of Leon/Cloud, Axel/Roxas, etc.
1. Chapter 1

Ah, the start of my third fic. I've become bolder, braver, more confident in my writing and my ability to render clever metaphors and whatnots. Which means there's a strong possibility that the story will suffer from some over-worked, convoluted plotline. ^^; Nah, I'm gonna try to keep the style similar to what I've been writing previously, but hopefully distinct enough for you dudes to realize that this is a completely different story. Thanks to everyone who's giving this story a shot. Please feel free to review!

And P.S.: I should mention. Yes, it starts out as Riku/Kairi. No, you don't need to start hating Kairi. She's not a bad person and there will be Riku/Sora eventually. Yes, Riku's a bit of an ass. Hopefully that will change through character development. I tried to take different spins off of the character's personalities to make this different from the "Haunted" series. We'll see if that works. Thanks much for your patience as this story gets off the ground. ^^

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Chapter One

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"_Riku! Namine! Please come downstairs to the atrium at once. Your father has just returned and will undoubtedly be expecting your presence."_

_Seven-year-old Riku wrinkled his nose at the butler's barking request. Despite its polite overtones, it was still a thinly veiled command. He looked at the TV screen where the game was frozen with PAUSE glaring across the middle of the scene. He really didn't want to go downstairs, he was right in the middle of his game. But if he refused, the butler would undoubtedly come for him, or worse, he might send one of Riku's brothers._

"_We should go down. Right, Riku?"_

_Riku frowned at his little sister's soft voice, turning back to glare at the small girl as she looked back at him with her wide, bright blue eyes. "Yeah, I know, Namine. I just don't want to. If Father wants to see me, he can come up here."_

"_Riku…"_

"_Fine. I'm getting up, see?" Pouting, he threw his controller down and stalked as fiercely as he could out of his bedroom, Namine following timidly behind him. They always played video games in his room. Well, he always played them. Namine would just watch and comment now and again on things he had already thought of. She was a weird little sister._

_When he finally reached the main stairs, Riku could see that his three older brothers were already gathered by the front door. They always looked forward to Father's return. Much more than Riku or Namine did. Seeing a tall dark form on the other side of the front door signaling that his father was approaching, Riku ran down the stairs. He and Namine had just made it when the front door opened, a rush of winter air coming into the atrium as their father walked inside. _

_Riku shivered slightly as the air cooled the marble tiles underneath his bare feet. He was always surprised at how cold winter got in Destiny Islands some times. He still managed to smile along with his other siblings though as they all chimed out. "Welcome home, Father."_

_Their father looked down at them. His face was impassive but Riku could see a glint of happiness in his eyes as he nodded to them. "It is good to be home." His green gaze turned to his second youngest son. "How have things been while I was away, Kadaj?"_

_Kadaj smiled, the self-proclaimed leader of his brothers practically glowing from the personal attention. "Fine, Father. I kept up with all of the news, just like you wanted. There were no problems except for that Riku slept in on Wednesday and was late to his class."_

_Riku's eyes widened then narrowed as he glared at Kadaj. He didn't even know how Kadaj had found out about that. And he had only been five minutes late. There had been no reason to tell Father. Kadaj was such a tattle-tale, and he loved getting him into trouble. Despite his anger, Riku immediately wiped his glare from his face as their father crouched down in front of him. Sephiroth was frowning sternly, eye-to-eye with his youngest son. "Riku. I trust you apologized to your teacher?"_

_Riku bit his lip, his gaze falling down to his bare feet. He hadn't apologized._

_Sephiroth sighed then reached forward to lay a pale hand on Riku's small shoulder. "Son. It is important to uphold all obligations. Even if that is as simple as getting to school on time. Now this Monday I want you to apologize to your teacher for your tardiness Wednesday, no excuses." He added after Riku opened his mouth to protest. When Riku finally nodded sullenly, Sephiroth nodded then straightened back up, looking at all of them again. "Now, who wants to see what I brought them from this trip?"_

_Five hands shot up into the air and their father reached into his deep trench coat pockets. Riku eagerly awaited for his gift to be placed in his hands but just as his father was giving him his newest toy an ear-splitting ring burst through the air, ripping him away from the scene._

Riku lurched up out of bed, eyes wide as he searched out the source of the incessant ringing. It took his mind half a second to wake up but as soon as it caught up with his body he groaned and flopped back into bed, slapping down the snooze on his alarm clock. It was a school day. Shit.

Growling out an unintelligible curse, Riku rolled over and buried himself down into his silk sheets, ignoring the warmth of the tropical island sun shining on his face. It was way too early to even think about getting up, sun or no sun. And it felt way too comfortable in his king-sized bed, surrounded by silk. Screw class, he'd get to school when he wanted to. The thought brought back remnants of his dream and he sighed then ran his hand through his silver hair. He hadn't even known that he could remember that far back into his childhood.

With an internal moan of protest, he rolled onto his stomach, his aquamarine eyes flickering over to his side table. There was a photograph of him and his father hidden halfway behind the digital alarm clock. The both of them were trying hard to look happy in the photograph with limited success; it seemed that Riku had managed to inherit the great Sephiroth Jenovan's inability to crack a smile along with his handsome features. The dream had probably been prompted due to the fact that his father was yet again out on a business trip. It would last a few weeks since he had flown halfway across the world. But that was life as usual at the Jenovan residence, and the price they had to pay for their father to afford such a luxurious lifestyle. Not that Riku minded one less person in the house. In fact he would prefer it if several other relatives would go missing for weeks at a time. It would be a nice change.

Lost in his thoughts, Riku was about to slip back to sleep when a quiet knock echoed into his large room. He gave a questioning grunt in reply and the door carefully creaked open. Riku buried his head under his pillow as he heard their butler's voice ask tentatively. "Should I prepare breakfast for you?"

"What do you think?" Riku muttered.

The butler sighed after somehow managing to translate Riku's growl through a layer of pillow. He tugged at the bottom of his vest then bowed. "Very well, sir. Have a good day."

Riku rolled his eyes, waiting until the door had been shut again before grudgingly removing the pillow from his head. It was obvious that he wasn't going to be allowed any more sleep in this house. Once the butler had butted in it was only a matter of time before one of his brothers burst through his door. But still, it might be worth the risk if he could get a few more minutes-

His thoughts were interrupted by his door flying open again. Riku struggled to sit up but before he could even gain his bearings he felt hands on his chest and the next second he was flying off the bed, pain shooting up his back as it struck the ground. Growling and tangled up in sheets and pillows, he struck out at his attacker but his wrists were quickly snagged with nearly inhuman speed and immediately stopped his thrashing. As he tried to catch his breath, Riku glared up at the attacker who was straddling his waist. "Yazoo, you ass, get off of me!"

"Now, now, Ri-ku, that's no way to talk to your big brother."

"I can talk to you however the hell I want with this sort of wake up call. Now get off." Yazoo smirked but sat up a bit, allowing Riku his wrists back. Like the rest of his brothers, Yazoo was handsome enough to be a model though he probably was the most feminine with his long hair. Of course that didn't mean he was any nicer. With a huff, Riku rubbed the skin which had been rubbed red from Yazoo's tight grip. His brothers only played rough with him. No friendly fake punches from them. They'd never done him serious damage of course, they hadn't ever broken bones or left bruises, but Riku had a feeling that if it weren't for their father, they'd probably get more vicious. Riku closed his eyes than took a breath. "What do you want?"

Yazoo flipped his long, silver hair back, his soft voice smooth and sophisticated as always. "Why nothing more than to wake up my dear baby brother. It's time for you to go to school."

"And for you to go to bed, right?" Riku drawled.

Yazoo tilted his head to the side then smiled and tapped Riku's nose. "Smart boy." He stood up. "I'm glad we had this lovely bonding moment. See you tonight."

His brothers were creatures of the night. Possibly wanna-be vampires for all Riku knew. They went to clubs and bars and God-knows-where dressed up in their ridiculous matching black outfits until morning when they would come to sleep the day away. Unfortunately that meant that Riku still crossed paths with them in the morning and then late at night when they left to party. Theirs was a life that Riku envied, and which he would have once he finally graduated high school. Sure, he would have to go to college, but having a super rich father ensured the fact that he would be able to have as much fun as he wanted during the process.

Now however, he was stuck at home, in high school, and still suffering his brothers' wake up calls. Scowling, Riku watched Yazoo saunter out of the room, flipping his brother a finger as soon as Yazoo left. Then he tottered up from the wooden floor and brushed himself off. What a way to start the day. With the scowl still on his lips he padded into the en-suite bathroom. It was about the size of a normal bedroom, complete with a walk in closet, though it was still small in comparison to his actual room. Sephiroth had hired an interior decorator to design the house when they first built it, but the style of the marble counters and tiles were starting to fall out of fashion. Personally, Riku wanted the entire thing gutted. He did approve of the marble counters but he was in the process of convincing his father that he needed a spa tub. Speaking of tubs, a quick glance in the mirror told him that he would definitely need a shower, whether or not it would run into school time. He was not going to leave his room looking as rumpled as he did.

Nearly an hour later, Riku had showered and gotten properly dressed in his uniform. He had plenty of designer jeans and shirts but unfortunately the Destiny Island High School enforced wearing uniforms no matter how much money they were offered to change their mind. Oh well, he always changed out of his uniform as soon as he left school, and he always made sure to dress his best on the weekends. As it was though, he added two designer belts, a few armbands, and loosened his tie. It would suffice for now along with a quick dash of black eyeliner. After he was dressed, he even made it down to the kitchen with time for a quick breakfast. His arrival startled the cook but she whipped him up a light meal anyway.

By the time Riku got to the garage and into his silver sportscar, it was already 9:00. Only an hour late for school. Not bad.

The only problem with arriving so late was the lack of parking. Luckily, a spot near the front was always saved for him whether or not he arrived on time. A perk to being popular. After he parked, he sauntered onto campus as if he owned the place. He pretty much did through his father's influence.

The school itself was the most prestigious private school in all of Destiny Islands. It was spread out on a large plot of land, the tropical weather allowing for a very open campus complete with a swimming pool, two large fields, and its own theater. Everything was modern and student fees ensured that the rooms were equipped with the best technology. The teachers also had the highest training because they were in charge of teaching the leaders of tomorrow's world. This didn't mean that they weren't susceptible to the charms of students like Riku. Not even bothering to go to the office to check-in, he instead walked on to his first period class. Math. Not his best subject if only because he always arrived late. When he walked into the room, his teacher paused mid-lecture, her brow rising. She was about thirty, somewhat pretty, a perfect target for his charisma.

Riku smirked with a hint of apology, tucking a stray strand of his silver hair behind his ear as he used his most sincere voice. "Sorry for coming late." No explanation. One wasn't really needed.

The teacher only nodded, her cheeks slightly pink as she spun around to face the board again. She was just as enamored with him as the rest of the school. Still smirking, Riku walked over to sit next to his friend Axel who gave him a high five as soon as he sat down at an empty desk. Riku's smirk widened and he pulled out his notebook.

Axel had been his friend for three years now, ever since they had met in high school. He could honestly say that Axel was the only person who he thought of as an actual friend. The redhead was the type of person who only and always spoke his mind, without fear of consequences. He freely admitted to smoking, doing drugs, drinking alcohol, and was never seen without some sort of smirk on his face. Today as usual Axel's uniform was in a state of ruin. The knees on their blue plaid pants were ripped, the white shirt was halfway unbuttoned and the tie was haphazardly draped around his neck. With several layers of punk necklaces, belts, and bracelets, it was nearly impossible to tell that he was even wearing a uniform, and he would probably get in trouble for it by the end of the day. In short, Axel was rebellious and an idiot and it was refreshing.

Riku barely listened during class; just well enough to copy down the essential notes of the day. For the rest of the time he exchanged text messages with Axel who halfway through the lecture had gone to the bathroom and hadn't made it back twenty minutes later. When it was time for individual work, Riku finished the minimum amount of problems for him to appear as if he was trying to do something. The problems he did look over were all simple. Truthfully he knew that the math class was too easy for him. But hey, it was an easy A and he barely had to work. Plus the teacher fawned over him so much that he could come to class late without caring about getting in trouble. It sounded like a good deal to him.

When the bell finally rang to let them out for break, Riku was one of the first out of the room with his backpack slung fashionably over one shoulder. Axel had shown up two minutes before the bell had rung and sauntered alongside him out of the room, the senior's long legs allowing him to go at a slower pace. Immediately after they stepped out of the classroom, students began to surround them, most of them looking to catch Riku's attention. Since the school was so expensive, only the children of the rich and famous could attend, and they were always fighting to connect with the most important people.

Since Riku was the most popular boy in school, everyone was always trying to gain his favor, having been taught well by their parents that connections meant everything. Riku however, was notorious for talking to only a few people who he deemed interesting enough, and right now, he was looking at Axel. After all, the redhead usually was the most entertaining. Seeing that Riku was busy, the rest of the students resigned themselves to talking amongst themselves, serving as more of an entourage than anything else. With a glance to make sure that he had the other teen's attention, Axel spoke up over the noise around them. "So, Riku, have you seen Namine today?"

Frowning, Riku sent the redhead a look. So much for Axel being the most entertaining. "No. I'm not her keeper." He led the way to their usual sitting place, a choice patch of grass in the middle on campus complete with enough benches for twenty people to sit at. Some people would remain standing, but Riku at least would get to sit. No matter which way he looked at it though, it was nice to be outside for a while. Once he found a comfortable seat, Riku crossed his legs and looked up at Axel. "She probably had our driver drop her off early like she always does."

Axel grunted, his sharp green eyes brightening when he spotted someone over Riku's shoulder. Riku turned to see Namine walking over to them. She was looking shy but pretty as usual in her school uniform though as always it was pressed so neatly that she seemed to blend perfectly into the crowds, becoming nearly invisible. However at the moment she had a frown on her delicate features, speaking up after she had pushed through the small crowd surrounding the two boys. "Riku, did you come to school late?"

"What of it? It's not like I missed anything important."

With a long-suffering sigh, Namine put her hands on her hips. "You should know better than that. If Kadaj finds out-"

"He's not going to find out." Riku growled. "Besides, it's not like you're going to tell him."

Namine flushed slightly. It was a well-known fact between them that Namine spoke to their older brothers less often than Riku. Which meant that she never spoke to them. Of course, their older brothers never acknowledged her presence either. It was an odd relationship, but Riku didn't bother to question it; it was how life had been for a few years now.

Obviously changing the topic, Namine looked over to Axel. "Were you looking for me?"

Axel nodded. "Yeah," his green eyes sparked with a veiled expression. "I just need to go over a few things with you. From history class. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course." Namine glanced down to Riku. "Do mind if I steal him for a minute?"

Frowning, Riku crossed his arms. "No. Why would I?"

Axel smirked. "Yeah, with the amount of people that will be wanting to talk to him after we get out of here, he won't even know we're gone."

Riku shrugged, watching as the two of them walked off. They made an odd couple, what with Axel being nearly two heads taller, just as skinny as Namine, and dressed completely opposite. But whatever they were talking about, it was a fairly intense conversation. Riku could tell by the way that Namine's lips pursed together. However, sure enough, not a minute after they left, Riku heard someone call his name.

He turned to see Kairi running toward him through the crowd, a wide smile on her lips. She stopped running a foot away from him, still smiling as she tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. "Riku, I didn't see you this morning!"

"That's because I wasn't here." Riku smirked and stood up. He leaned forward to run his slim fingers through her hair. Kairi really was rather pretty with her auburn hair and cute body. And she was the mayor's daughter. "Did you miss me?"

"Of course." Kairi giggled. "Why wouldn't I miss my handsome boyfriend?"

Riku chuckled then leaned down to kiss her lips, his hands sliding down to her hips as she blushed. She still wasn't used to public displays of affection. Smiling slyly, Riku lifted her chin. "What's wrong, Kai? You're blushing."

"You know I don't like to kiss when everyone's watching…" She whispered quietly, burying her red face into his shirt.

Riku glanced around to see that all eyes were on them. A few of the girls looked ready to kill Kairi actually. But he knew she had known what she was getting into when she decided to go out with him; it was the price to pay for dating the most popular guy at school. Still smirking, he tightened his grip around her and lifted her chin again. "You shouldn't. Besides, I like showing everyone that you're mine. Can't have anyone trying to touch what belongs to me." Kairi frowned. Seeing the expression, Riku tilted his head to the side. "What?"

"I don't like being treated like an object, Riku."

Riku chuckled low. "Then why did you ask to date me?" Her frown deepened and he sighed. "Come off it. It was only a joke, Kai."

"It wasn't very funny."

Rolling his eyes, Riku wrapped an arm around her slim shoulders and pulled her close. "Don't be so sensitive. We've been going out for a month. You should be used to me by now."

Kairi flushed a little darker, her pretty violet eyes flashing up to his face. "It has been a month, hasn't it…?"

"Yeah, it has. Where should I take you to celebrate? I could buy you dinner at a nice restaurant. A nice bouquet of roses maybe?" Riku grinned, seeing that talking about spending so much money was flustering her. "I could have my driver take us to the movies or drive us out to one of the seaside resorts for the weekend. Or maybe I'll just surprise you. What would you prefer?"

"I, whatever sounds good to you, Riku. But it doesn't have to be anything expensive. We could just go to the beach or a little café or something like that…"

Riku let out an exasperated sigh. "The beach or a café? Come on, get a little creative. Don't worry, I'll think of something for us to do. And don't worry about how expensive something is. I like having a reason to spend my father's money." Suddenly he smiled slyly and leaned in, murmuring low into her ear. "Of course if you wanted to be cheap, we could always celebrate in my bedroom."

"Riku!"

Riku chuckled as Kairi turned bright red. She was a cute girl. It was probably one of the only reasons that he hadn't gotten tired of her yet, along with the fact that because she was the mayor's daughter, he had been invited to the best parties recently. It was fun to embarrass her and watch her blush, though annoying when she would pout for a long time afterwards. Honestly, girls were really emotional. He was just about to lean down to kiss her pout away when a hand fell on his shoulder. Frowning at the interruption, Riku turned around, his expression lightening only slightly when he saw that it was Axel. "What do you want? I'm busy here."

Axel frowned, his sharp green eyes narrowing for a second as they fell on Kairi before he looked back to Riku. "Yeah well, don't do that kind of shit when I'm around. Makes me sick."

Crossing his arms, Riku spun around to face him completely. "Just because you're gay doesn't mean the world is. And what's with the attitude?"

Axel blinked then chuckled, all previous anger vanishing from his features. The chain belt around his hips jangled a bit as he shifted positions, reaching up to pat Riku's head. "For the record, I'm bi, not gay. Not a really big detail, but I just want you to get things right. And come on, Jenovan. You know I get cranky when I don't get my smoking in."

Riku swatted Axel's hand away from his hair. He hated people touching his hair. It took way too long to keep it perfectly styled. "Well then go somewhere and smoke. You're annoying when you're going through withdrawals."

"That I am." Axel grinned a cheesy smile and swung an arm over Riku's shoulders, pulling the younger teen close, much to Riku's annoyance as it once again mussed his hair. "But that's alright because you love me all the same. Whether or not I'm drugged up. Of course I'm never all that fun perfectly sober, which is why I make it a point to smoke something each morning before coming to school. Keeps me awake and enthusiastic about the day. Long enough so that I can get home and let out a little steam with a bottle of vodka anyway." This was the thing about Axel, Riku could never tell if he was being serious or not. It was hard to tell because as drunk and drugged up as Axel always claimed to be, he was always very sharp.

Riku raised an eyebrow as Axel suddenly chuckled again, the redhead leaning across his space to give Kairi a dangerous smirk, the expression almost predatory and not helped by his rebellious take on the uniform. "What's the matter? Am I bothering you with all this talk of bad things?"

Kairi frowned and pressed in closer to Riku. Clearly she wasn't comfortable around Axel. It didn't help that Axel didn't seem to like Kairi at all. In fact, neither did Namine for whatever reason. At least, the blond girl didn't approve of his and Kairi's relationship, which was strange because Namine was usually a very passive person who just went along with things. Speaking of Namine, Riku saw her picking her way back through the crowds, her lips pursing when she saw Kairi clinging onto him. Before she could say anything though, Riku turned to Axel. "You need a smoke and I need to go somewhere where I can hear myself think. Kairi, I'll see you at lunch."

Kairi frowned but pulled away from Riku to let him walk off with Axel. As they pushed their way through the crowd of students, Riku ran his fingers through his silver hair and sighed. Axel grinned, shoving his hands into his pockets. "What's the matter? The perfect life too much for Riku Jenovan?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "Can I help it if I don't particularly enjoy being around so much noise for so long?"

"Those kids just want to talk with you, you know, even if they are damn annoying."

"Then they'll have to wait until they stop giving me a headache." They had walked around to the back of the school by now, to a small clearing with a large tree in its center. It was the perfect place to relax, though a little small, and the only place on campus that offered any real solitude, which Riku greatly appreciated. As much as he loved being the center of attention, it did get tiresome before too long. They sat down at base of the tree and Riku shook his head as Axel immediately reached into a pocket to pull out a cigarette and a lighter. "Don't you have any control?"

"What can I say?" Axel grinned, the metal rivets on his bracelets glinting in the sun as he flicked the lighter open. "I'm an animal."

Riku watched as Axel lit the cigarette and left the flame on the lighter going for a few moments longer. The glow was reflected in Axel's green eyes which were dancing happily as he stared down at it. Axel never looked happier than when he was around fire. "You're a pyromaniac," Riku muttered.

"Yeah, that too." With a flick of his wrist, Axel shut the lighter with a snap. "Now, anything in particular you want to talk about or did you just want some quiet?"

"Quiet."

"Right. I'll shut up then."

A hint of a smile passed over Riku's lips and he leaned his head back against the tree. This was why he liked Axel. The redhead just seemed to understand him better than anyone else. For a few minutes, Riku allowed himself to bask in the silence. It was nice, the patches of sun coming through the tree branches, warming his face just enough to keep his position enjoyable. He was actually surprised the sun was out at all today, for the last week a tropical storm had blown through and had mainly kept the sky covered with thick layers of dark clouds. So he enjoyed the sunlight while he could.

It seemed like barely any time had passed at all before the faint sound of the bell could be heard from inside the school. Irritated, Riku's eyes flashed open to find Axel smothering his cigarette out in the dirt next to the jutting tree roots. Axel noticed the other's gaze and smirked. "So Riku, I have a favor to ask."

Riku blinked up at him, curious. Axel had never asked for something before. He shifted his position on the soft grass, sitting up enough to glance around the tree trunk to see Axel's face. "What is it?"

Axel scratched the back of his neck, looking vaguely sheepish. "It's nothing big. I was just wondering if you could come over to my place tonight and help me out with this homework project I have. It's that history thing I was talking to Namine about earlier actually."

"Since when have you needed help with history?"

"Since a while ago. Things really haven't been going so hot for me."

Riku frowned and crossed his arms. He had to admit that he was curious; he had never been to Axel's house before. Truthfully, he didn't even know anything about Axel's family or how he could afford to come to Destiny Island High School, it would be interesting to know more. He imagined that Axel pretty much had the run of the house; he was too rebellious to have ever been given limits. It might be fun.

Finally, after much internal debate, he nodded slowly. "I suppose I could help you out. But you're going to owe me."

"Yeah I will. Thanks, Riku, you're awesome." Axel paused then smirked. "Oh by the way, I'd prefer it if you kept this from Namine. She thinks I'm taking care of this project myself."

"So what you're saying is that you're going to use me to cheat somehow?"

"Let's just say I'm using my resources wisely. Now come on, we're going to be late to class."

"I won't be able to meet you right after school though. I've got things to do." His father's latest allowance was nearly burning a hole in his wallet and Riku was eager to spend it at the mall. He was getting behind in the latest styles. Not to mention that he finally had enough to buy a new, large, flat screen TV for his room.

Axel nodded. "Alright, that works for me. Just call me when you're done. I can pick you up from wherever you are."

Riku sent Axel an understanding wave before he split off to walk to his midday class. He had a feeling that it was going to be an interesting afternoon.

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	2. Chapter 2

Hey, dudes! ^^ Oh man, first chapters are always the hardest, right? But I'm really thankful to everyone who did review, and it's awesome that so many people already have enough confidence in my story to favorite it on the first chapter. I'm feeling the pressure though, everyone wanting Sora and Roxas to jump in, but a guilty conscious is forcing me to tell you that they won't be showing up for a little while longer. You'll understand why soon enough, but just know that I'm gonna be focusing on the story first then the pairings. Not to say that there'll be no romance, I'm just going to try to develop it sort of naturally. Kind of….Okay…I'll stop rambling now….Carry on with the story. You dudes are totally awesome, especially: ramen-is-my-goddess, Kichi Tsukima, Takara Zizumea, XfallenXshadowX, keitorin.24, Chaotic Darkness, A-chan, Mirror and Darkling, -IvyBlonde-, Twilight Emo Wind Goddess 801!

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Chapter 2

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The mall was busier than Riku had anticipated. It was the only mall on the main island and by the time school had ended, it was already full with teenagers from all of the high schools. It was odd, at times, mingling with the public school students, especially when Riku hadn't had the time to change out of his uniform. He was handsome enough as it was, but with his uniform, even more people stared and whispered among themselves. Used to the attention though, Riku just soaked it in and ignored them all.

He strolled from store to store, brushing by the less expensive ones. He only bought what was the top of the line so there was no reason to force himself to wear anything cheap. Whatever he saw that he liked, he bought, charging it on the credit card his father had gotten him a few months ago on his seventeenth birthday. It was one of his father's gifts which he had actually fully appreciated. Besides his car. Everything else had been more of a one-time-use thing; a few hundred dollars, a new suit; virtually meaningless throwaways from their family's perspective. But a credit card and a car, those things he was able to use.

After a while Riku took a quick trip to look at electronics for his new flat screen, taking only a few minutes to pick out the newest model. It wasn't too big, but large enough so that he would be able to enjoy it from his bed, just under forty inches. He had handed the stunned salesman his credit card without a second thought, and really, he had even had to reassure the man that he really wanted the television. How annoying. When he had finally finished the surprisingly complex process of purchasing a television, he left the store and dropped down into a bench a short distance from the bustling food court, worn out from the afternoon's activities.

As pleased as he had been with his purchases, he realized that he might have gotten a little overzealous with the amount he had bought. It was hard to keep track of how much he had actually purchased because of the fact that he had asked all of the stores he had visited to hold what he had bought until he came back for them. With a sigh, he pulled out his cell phone. His sports car only had two seats with minimal storage space, built for speed instead of utilitarianism. He would have to ask the driver to come and pick up what he had bought in a larger car.

After he had called up the driver, he happened to glance down at the clock on his cell phone. 7:45. Damn, he had told Axel that they were going to get together. Quickly scanning through his contact list, Riku picked out Axel's number and brought the phone up to his ear. Three rings later, Axel picked up on the other end.

"Hey, Jenovan. Done with your business?"

Riku rolled his eyes at the other's joking tone. "Yes. I am actually. I'm still at the mall though, so if you give me the directions to your house-"

"Hold up there. I don't think that'll be necessary."

"Why?"

"Turn around."

Riku spun around in his seat, aquamarine eyes narrowing when he saw a familiar redhead leaning against a skater shop store front not thirty feet behind him. He was dressed all in black, with tight black jeans and chains hanging from multiple studded belts. Leather bracelets were wrapped around his wrists and he even had thick black eyeliner on. Riku would have barely been able to recognize him if it wasn't for the hair and tattoos.

When he saw Riku's face, Axel smirked and hung up his own cell phone with a quick snap. He stuffed it into his back pocket then ran his hands through his spikes and sauntered slyly over. Having gotten over the shock a while back, Riku crossed his arms, irritated. "So how long have you known I was here?"

"Didn't know until you called actually." Grinning, Axel leapt over the back of the bench. "Guess we've just been shopping in different stores. I got a little tired of waiting for your call, you know? Had to get out of the house."

"I was-"

"Busy. Yeah, I know. Now, let's get to my house. Got your car?"

A little irritated at the interruption, Riku nonetheless answered. "Yeah."

"Good, because I took the bus. So let's get going." When Riku only glared up at him, Axel sighed. "Come on. It's a short ride back to my house. Well, not short enough to walk, and it's kinda a long bus ride but hey, I could always head back to the bus stop if you don't want to give me a ride. I understand."

Rubbing his temples, Riku growled up at him. "Fine. I'll give you a ride. Just shut up." He frowned but stood up as he muttered. "Do you have any idea how annoying you are sometimes?"

"Got a small idea, yeah. You didn't tell Namine about this though, right?"

"I said I wouldn't, didn't I? I don't know why you have to make it seem so mysterious though. It's just a history project."

"So it is. I like the mysterious feel though. It makes everything so much more exciting." Smirking, Axel fell in line with Riku, his punk attire creating quite a contrast to Riku's refined uniform. Thankfully for Riku's growing headache Axel quieted down for the walk through the mall. As much as he tolerated and even enjoyed Axel's company, the redhead got annoying fast when he opened his mouth. So if Axel was busy with his thoughts, Riku wasn't going to bother him. In fact Riku was able to enjoy the relative silence of the usual mall noises until they got out to the parking lot.

It was dark out, but Riku had made sure to park near the mall under a light; the effect now being that his car looked almost as if it was being displayed in a showroom. As soon as Axel's eyes fell onto Riku's silver sportscar, they lit up with an admiring though almost mischievous glint that made Riku instantly on guard.

Letting out a low appreciative whistle, Axel walked around the front of the car, dragging his hand over the car's hood. "I always forget how nice your ride is until I get this close." His hand stilled for a moment, holding his weight as he leaned over to look at Riku. "Hey, how much did this beauty cost again?"

"Not sure. My father bought it for me for my birthday. It didn't exactly come with a receipt." Riku unlocked the car, about to slide inside when he sent a glare over to Axel. "It did cost more than you'll ever make in a year though, so get your hand off before you damage the paint or dent it or something."

Axel chuckled but picked his hand up. "Getting off." He was still smirking as he got into the passenger seat. The car interior was just as luxurious as its outside, the scent of the new leather covering the seats and steering wheel still thick in the air. "You seem a little overprotective of it though. Just saying, as a friend, it seems a little unhealthy." Receiving a glare as Riku started the engine, Axel raised his hands up in defense. "I'm just saying, you didn't even let me touch the car for long. I barely had my hand on it and you were already getting ready to snap at me. Made me nervous to even put my feet down in here." He waved his hand, nearly distracting Riku as the silver-haired teen pulled out onto the street, earning another glare. "This is a damn kick-ass sportscar, you should be pushing it as fast as it can go, just barely keeping it from crashing, screw the consequences."

Riku's pale fingers curled tighter around the steering wheel, his grip tighter than usual. "This kick-ass sportscar is a limited addition model. There are only one hundred of them in the entire world. I think that earns me the right to be a little overprotective. Besides, if I was just looking for a fast ride, there are plenty more cars in our garage to wreck. So don't tell my how to drive my car."

Huffing, Axel flopped back in his seat. "How boring. But anyway, turn right at the next intersection then head further into the island."

Riku glanced over at the redhead with curiosity. The center of the island was the poorer area, well; it was where the majority of the citizens of Destiny Island lived. The coastline was all monopolized by rich estates like Riku's or by hotels and the like. Between the coast and the inner city was generally a lining of forested or wild land, kept in its natural state for the benefit of tourists and residents alike. Riku hadn't expected Axel to direct him to any of the fancier villas or anything but he wasn't expecting going to the inner island either. Axel must be poorer than he had initially thought. With renewed curiosity, Riku glanced at Axel again. "You've never told me much about your family."

"Neither have you." Axel countered with a smirk. After a second though when he saw that Riku wasn't going to back down, Axel shrugged, his acidic green eyes falling to the road ahead of them. "Not much to say though. I live on my own. Got no family left." He heard Riku grunt a little with a surprised understanding and waved it off. "Don't worry, it happened a few years ago. Besides, if I talked to anyone about it, it would be you."

Riku was about to question Axel about what he meant by that when a loud and demanding "ping" rang out from the dashboard. Frowning, Riku looked down at the gauges, cursing when he saw that the engine malfunction light on. His aquamarine eyes flashed another gauge to see that the engine was overheating. "What the hell?"

Axel leaned over, an eyebrow raised as Riku began to navigate the car to the side of the road. Unfortunately, they were driving through a part of the island that was still more like a tropical rainforest than city. "Hm. Weird, it's overheating. Oh hey, I think I see smoke coming out of the engine. What are you going to do?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Riku snarled. He couldn't believe it, but Axel was right. There was smoke seeping out of the car hood. "I'm pulling over."

The headlights of the sleek, silver car lit the ferns and palm trees along the side of the road as it rolled to a stop. The beam of light stretched just far ahead enough to illuminate the base of the structure of a short tunnel as well, though the interior of the tunnel remained obscured. Still swearing to himself as he parked the car, Riku kicked his door open and stalked around to the front. On the other side of the car, Axel calmly slipped out, meeting him in front of the engine. Frowning, Riku held his hand out over the engine. "Damn. It really did overheat. What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"Look in the engine?"

"Can't. Getting under the hood requires a specialized mechanic." Scowling, Riku immediately reached for his cell phone in his back pocket. "It better still be on warranty. Someone is going to lose their job for selling this piece of junk." He flipped his phone open only to roll his eyes. "Perfect. There's no reception here. This just makes my day." He strangled the cell phone then glared frigidly at the redhead. "Axel, remind me to hurt you the next time you suggest we go anywhere."

Axel grinned. "Will do. But don't freak out, my house is just on the other side of the tunnel. I'll run over, call a tow truck from the land line and then we can get to work on my little project, sound good?"

"Whatever. Fine, it sounds fine."

"Alright. Wait here then. I'll be back in a few minutes."

As Axel disappeared into the black shadows of the tunnel, Riku walked back to the driver's seat, dropping down into the leather chair. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. The car was working perfectly a while ago, until Axel got into it. Maybe the redhead was just a walking catastrophe. Closing his eyes, Riku leaned his head back, not bothering to close the car door, favoring the cool night breeze instead. He didn't really care if the door was open to the wilderness of the island, even with all of the animals rustling in the underbrush not a few feet away. While other kids were afraid of the night and what the darkness held, Riku had never really been bothered to care about that sort of thing. Perhaps it was from having grown up on a large estate where his father controlled everything. As a kid, he had never needed to worry about danger, and as a teenager, everyone knew better than to mess with him because of his family name. It was as if he was born invulnerable.

He was, however, prone to impatience. After waiting for a while he growled and opened his eyes again, running his hand through his long silver hair when he saw that half an hour had already passed. What the hell was taking Axel so long? He would go after the redhead but he really didn't want to leave his car alone. Useless or not, it was still his car, and maybe it could be saved. It was just an overheated engine after all.

Another half an hour passed before Riku finally growled and got out of his car again. He slammed the door shut, his face dark with anger as he made sure to securely lock it. It did not take an hour to call a tow truck. At least not one that was coming to pick up Riku Jenovan's car. Not on this island anyway.

Fuming, he walked toward the tunnel. Obviously he was going to have to find Axel, or find Axel's house, and call the damn number himself. And then he was going to chew out Axel for making him wait so long. Forget the history project, as soon as he got to a working phone, Riku was going to call his driver again and demand to be picked up.

When he reached the tunnel, Riku turned back to give his car a second glance. It would be such a tempting target for any thieves. Not that anyone had driven down the road in the past hour, but still. Already mourning for whatever would befall his car while he was away, Riku turned back around and entered the tunnel. It really was pitch black inside but he kept moving forward, having too much dignity to try to use the wall for reference.

He estimated that he was halfway through when he noticed that all of the island noises had stopped. There was no touch of the breeze nor could he hear the occasional bird noise. He stopped, momentarily, and paused to gain his bearings then became angry at himself for losing confidence so quickly. There was nothing out there. Just keep walking. Find Axel's house.

He took another step forward when suddenly a bright light surged in front of him. It was blinding and he threw his arm up to block his eyes as it rushed forward. He couldn't see.

It was too bright, even with his eyes closed it was too bright.

The light hit him then surrounded him and just as Riku thought that he couldn't bare it anymore, everything went dark again. What the hell had that been? Riku felt himself shaking, he was breathing in short pants as he slowly opened his eyes and lowered his arm. He could still see the light in front of him, just like the residual camera flash after too many photographs. Bending over, he rubbed his eyes furiously, trying to get over the exposure from the light. If he had been permanently affected he was going to sue someone for everything they had.

He didn't even know what the light had belonged to. At first it had almost been like headlights but then it had just gotten too bright. Worse than flood lights. What if it had all been part of some elaborate prank on Axel's part?

Hissing at the thought, Riku straightened up, blinking furiously as he tried to completely regain his vision. He was going to kill Axel if the redhead had been at all behind it. He could just imagine that infuriating smirk, could already hear that irritating laugh as Axel would undoubtedly pop out of some random bush laughing his head off. Ha ha, hilarious. Squinting through flashes of blind spots dancing in front of his eyes, he quickly scanned the area for Axel. Or any recording equipment that was taping his reaction. But all that he could see were trees. A dirt road. Rocks. Bushes. He must have stumbled through the tunnel while he was blinded.

But wait, the trees were strange. They weren't tropical at all. Wincing as he tried to focus in on them, he could feel a migraine coming on, Riku walked over, stretching out his fingertips to touch the dark, spindly leaves. It looked almost like an evergreen, one meant for the cold at that, so how could it survive in the heat of Destiny Island?

Putting that question aside for the moment he looked around the area, trying to search for any signs of whatever it was that had blinded him. Maybe it had been hooked up to the tunnel ceiling? Riku turned around to inspect the tunnel only for his aquamarine eyes to widen with shock. Feeling as if the breath had been knocked out of him all over again, he stumbled back a step, the dirt road crunching under his designer shoes. There was no tunnel. There was no tunnel at all. In fact there was nothing, just more dirt road stretching out in the opposite direction until it was engulfed in a forest of more evergreen trees.

Riku brought a slightly shaking hand up to his forehead. No fever. Either he was completely delirious or he was actually in a completely different part of the world. At least, there was no where on any of the Destiny Islands that looked like this!

Pulling himself together before he allowed panic to consume his sensibilities, Riku sucked in a breath then took a good look around. He definitely was in some sort of forest, though it was hard to really tell because it was so dark out. There might have been a hint of a mountain range off in one direction, but it was just a dark purple mass against an even darker sky, nearly unintelligible to the eye. The forest itself was made up of those evergreen trees and then more trees with bare limbs. It was autumn so maybe all of the rest of them had already lost their leaves?

Out of desperation, he reached back for his cell phone again, not at all surprised when he found it missing. He sucked in a deep breath. "Okay. So you've got no phone and no idea where you are. And your wallet," he reached for his other pocket , "and your wallet is also gone. Fantastic." The good news was that someone had to live somewhere nearby, someone always lived nearby. Wherever he was.

Shit. He was screwed.

Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair, letting the silver strands slowly slip through his fingers as he turned around. Well, there was nothing to do now but start walking. And if he had to choose, he would pick the direction of the road not going into the heart of the woods.

As he walked, he couldn't help but wonder where the hell Axel was. Then again, he didn't know where he was himself. The only reasonable explanation in his head was that he had been knocked out somehow then…kidnapped, Riku cringed at the word. It made him sound like some helpless child. But nevertheless, something had happened, and now he was in some strange place.

And just realized that his mind was running around in circles.

Rubbing his forehead, Riku blew out an irritated breath, his eyes widening when he saw that the puff of air had been visible. It was cold. Wincing as the full impact of the chilly weather hit him now that his panic was settling down, Riku drew his thin jacket closer around himself. The damn thing might have been expensive, but it was made to be sold on Destiny Islands. It wasn't meant to actually keep a body warm. But at least the walk wasn't that hard. Sure his favorite pair of shoes was being scuffed up from the dirt road, but the scenery was beautiful, in that dark, autumnal sort of way. He imagined that it would be a beautiful sight in the spring anyway.

Suddenly a movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye followed by the rustling of a nearby bush. Frowning, Riku kept his eyes on the road. It was probably just some stupid animal, it was definitely too small for a person anyway.

Whatever it was though, it seemed to be following his every step. As fast as he walked, the bushes next to the road continued to rustle, as if something was purposefully chasing him.

Heart quickening at the thought, Riku finally spun around to face the source of the noise, stomping one foot down defiantly. "Alright, I've had enough! Come out where I can see you!"

The bush nearest to him trembled, its dense branches shaking side to side for a second before they suddenly parted. Riku took an involuntary step back as something began to crawl out onto the road. It was small, not two feet tall, but it was completely black with two antennae perched on top of its head. What was most disconcerting though were the two glowing eyes, bright enough to almost be headlights, that were even now looking Riku over with a definite intelligence. Whatever this thing was, it could think. And it was emitting this feeling that seemed…wrong. Like it was something that was just bad. This thing wasn't good. There was something evil about it.

Momentarily losing his ability to speak, Riku stared back at it as it inspected him.

He had never run from anything before and yet right now his mind was reeling. Fight or run? Fight or run? Fight or-? His instinctual dilemma was answered by the creature as it took an almost experimental swipe at him with one of its clawed hands. Riku jumped back a step then turned and ran.

His legs carried him as fast as they could as he sprinted down the road. The patter of feet behind him kept him running. If he stopped, that thing would catch him. He didn't want to know what it would do. There had to be someone nearby to help him!

A hysteric laugh of relief broke passed his lips when far in the distance he saw the glow of what looked to be a campfire. There was someone! They would help him. They had to. All he had to do was outrun that thing long enough-

Riku cried out as there was a sudden sharp pain in his ankle. Tripping, he fell to the ground, rolling over to find that thing clawing at his leg. Hissing from the pain, he kicked out, catching it in the side of the head. It didn't let go though, just crawled further up his leg. Riku's breath hitched as it reached out, its clawed fingers straining to reach his chest. The sound of his heart pounding filled his senses. Was this really how he was going to die?

"Oi! You there, hold still!"

Without thought, Riku did as he was told then threw his arms up to shield his face as the creature grabbing onto him suddenly disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Shaking, Riku held still as he heard footsteps approach, only lowering his arms when he heard the voice speak up again. "It just wasn't his lucky day. It was yours though, boy. Now come along, back to the fire so that I can have a real look at you."

Numbly, Riku looked up at the dark figure, unsure as to whether be terrified or grateful. The man sighed and Riku was just able to make out the nod of his head as he motioned back to the campfire. "Nothing to be worried about, it's not like I'll bite any worse than that Heartless." The man turned and began to walk back to his camp, his words carrying over his shoulder. "Of course you deserve what you get wandering on your own at this time of day."

Riku hesitated only a second before stumbling onto his feet. "Hey, wait!" The man showed no sign of slowing down though and Riku grit his teeth. The wound in his ankle stung but he tried to ignore it and limped after the man toward the welcoming glow and warmth of the fire. As he approached the camp, Riku could see that some sort of covered wagon was parked near the campfire. In the flickering light, it looked to be made completely out of wood, decorated almost to look like those gypsy wagons that Riku always saw in movies. A log obviously serving as a seat lay next to the fire itself and a handmade spit was cooking something over the flames.

As Riku stumbled into the perimeter of the camp, the man crouched down to prod his fire into a new, bright blaze. The fire revealed the man to be young, thirty at most, with neatly trimmed blond hair and a short mustache and goatee. In short, he looked much too civilized to be living in some wagon in a forest like this. "Now then, let's see what I've got my hands on?"

A pair of sharp blue eyes met Riku's gaze, widening for a split second, as if shocked by what he had saw, before the man shook his head and smiled. "What are the odds? Wouldn't have bet on it myself…"

Riku's eyes narrowed. He was through with being confused. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. Stepping forward, he crossed his arms. "What are you talking about? Who are you? Where am I and what the hell was that thing back there?"

"My, so many questions at once, you're likely to overwhelm a man like that. But I'll try to take them one at a time, shall I?" The man glanced up at him and smirked. "As for your first question, I'll have to skip that. But otherwise. My name is Luxord, you'd be right to remember it. And as to where you are and what that was, well, let me pose my own question; what's the last thing you remember?"

Riku sighed and dropped down to sit on the log. Burying his face in his hands, he shook his head. "The last thing I remember before all this was walking through a tunnel on Destiny Islands. Then there was this light and now I'm here."

"Destiny Islands? Goodness, you are a long way from home then." Luxord gave Riku a particularly searching look before he tilted his head back. "I'd wager then that you're not aware of the fact that you're no longer in your world?"

Riku stared, unsure of how to react. "W-What?"

"Welcome to the spirit world, my friend. Stay for a while, you need to know a thing or two."

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	3. Chapter 3

Alright, dudes, Chapter 3 is up! Woot! The story's getting started and I'm excited about it! Eheheh. And much thanks to all of my reviewers and supporters, it really means a lot to hear what you guys have to say. The points you bring up make me think too, and even change the direction of my story plot points once in a while. So much thanks to everyone who reviewed: ramen-is-my-goddess, A-chan, XfallenXshadowX, keitorin.24, PirataNoctis, Twilight-Oblivion, -IvyBlonde-! You guys are awesome. Reviews make me update faster! And make my day. And make me worship the ground you walk on. ^^

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Chapter 3

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Riku sat and waited for Luxord to talk, still trying to come to grips with what the man just said. For his part, Luxord leaned back against the fallen log, one white blond eyebrow lifting as he examined the stressed youth. He hummed then reached into a pocket of his long trench coat, a second later pulling out what looked to be a deck of cards. The cards though were long and thin, and looked to be made of sturdier material than the usual paper, something more like thin pieces of wood. Luxord glanced up at Riku again then spoke up. "I'll tell you what; we'll play a game to see what I should say. I'll pull two cards, one for me and one for you. Should yours best mine, I'll tell you about this world as best I can. Should mine be a higher number, I'll have to kill you, sound fair?"

Riku raised his head from his hands and snorted. "Hardly." Seriously, was this guy insane?

Riku could only watch as Luxord shuffled the deck, cards flying from hand to hand faster than he could keep track of, blurring into continuous arcs of movement until Luxord suddenly snatched two from the flow. He held them up. "Here's mine now." He threw it toward the fire. The card landed, face up, a few inches from the fire, illuminated from the flickering glow. "Jack of spades. Tough card to beat, but here's yours."

He threw the other card down. Riku tilted his head down to look when he heard Luxord let out a small grunt of surprise. His card was the king of hearts. He had won. Smirking, Riku leaned down to look at Luxord. "My card was higher."

"So it was. A surprising turn of events for sure. But nonetheless, I am nothing but a servant to chance myself. So let's see. Since you know less than a new-born, what should I say?" Luxord collected his cards back together and slid them back into his pocket. "I suppose I should start with the basics. To start with, forget everything you knew about your old world. I've been to it once or twice, I've seen how human's think of things. Here there are no humans, and everything is alive." He saw Riku's face flicker with confusion and sighed. "Everyone here is a spirit of sorts, which is why it's aptly called the spirit world. Now, there are multiple kinds of spirits. Two in particular which have formed into an unfortunate hierarchy."

Luxord leaned forward and held up two fingers. "There are elemental spirits and then there are what are usually called animal spirits though that name can at times be misleading. Animal spirits can also be called demons, but that seems a little harsh, wouldn't you say? But let me give some examples in an attempt to clear things. Wandering around this land is a man who is a friend of mine. He looks very human but he is in fact a water elemental, and has control of water. Then there is another person who is a fox spirit. Now, she may look like a human, but she is actually more an intelligent creature with the ability to change her form."

"Okay…" At this point Riku was wondering it would have been better to risk that Heartless thing than this guy. Luxord had clearly been alone in the wilderness for too long.

A chuckle from Luxord drew Riku from his thoughts. "You don't believe me."

"Not really." Riku crossed his arms. "I wasn't raised to believe in fairy tales or fantasy things like sprits, my father had more sense than that."

"I'm sure he did, but I'm also sure there will be no harm in you listening for a bit longer. As I was saying there's been an unfortunate circumstance where the elementals have grown into thinking that they were better than the animal spirits. They even went so far as to begin a tradition where the strongest of their kind became called 'gods'. You have a god of water. God of fire. God of the dirt found only in a certain region of such and such continent. So they started a hierarchical society, one ruled by an elemental king, one of the many gods. Personally I think the elementals' talk of the animals being second-grade is rubbish. So they're generally a little rougher around the edges. I think the elementals are just jealous that the animals are the only ones who have the ability to travel freely into the human world and back again."

Riku held up his hand when he sensed that Luxord was beginning to ramble, effectively cutting the man off. "Wait, so this place we're in right now has a king?" There was a glimmer of hope for Riku. Maybe, just maybe, if he found the guy in charge around here, crazy or not, he would be able to get directions to somehow get back to Destiny Islands.

"Not at the moment, no." Seeing that Riku was about to protest, Luxord held up his hand. "Our last king was a wise man, an elemental of light. He was sympathetic to the plight of the animal spirits and even elevated them into the highest positions the palace offered. In an attempt to further fix the rift between elemental and animal he married a flower spirit. It was a lower type of elementals, close enough to an animal spirit to arouse some discontent. While our new queen was lovely and kind, the move had been somewhat radical, after all, the woman did already have a son from a previous marriage. And he was an animal sprit. But the move was not unexpected from a headstrong man like him."

Luxord chuckled, though his face fell into thoughtfulness as his eyes fell back onto the campfire. "Most of us celebrated the union, especially after the birth of their two sons, but there were those who became disgruntled. In particular, the leader of the king's guard and several others, all of them dark elementals, banded together and attacked the palace with intent to overthrow the king and create a new regime. They struck at night, when they had the most power and when the king was at his weakest."

Luxord trailed off at this point. Riku, who had just begun to get into the story, frowned after a second. He felt like a child for demanding more, but damn it, it was an interesting story. "So?"

"Hm?"

"So what happened? Obviously something happened."

"The plan of the dark elementals worked too well. Look around us." Luxord waved up to the sky. "We've entered an era of perpetual night. It is three in the afternoon right now, near tea time, but you can't very well tell since the sun only rises in the east for a few hours a day. That mountain range," Luxord motioned to the dark mountains which Riku had noticed when he had first came to the world, "blocks most of the light we might get as it is. Around the noon hour, the sun just barely breaches its peaks. This is all because the light elementals have basically been hunted into extinction or have disappeared. The leader of the guards, the very man that was to be protecting the king, killed him. The fate of the young princes, who were also light elementals, is unknown even to me at this point. All that is certain is they disappeared during the night's raid. Their personal guards ran off in hiding before they were all killed by the dark elementals. The queen escaped with her eldest son and the leader of the guards who killed the kin disappeared as well. One of the other usurpers took control of the palace and so, here we are."

Riku blinked. That was a lot to take in at once. And he had no idea if Luxord was completely making the story up or if there was something to all of it. It had been dark for a long time, hours already. But if he really was in this spirit world than he was incredibly screwed. Especially if things like that black creature were wandering about. Finding his voice after a second, Riku asked. "So that thing…you called it a…Heartless? What was it?"

"The product of too much dark in charge of this world. Too much of any one elemental magic leads to distasteful byproducts. They're particularly nasty things though. They aim for your heart; on account of they don't have one themselves. Jealous little beasties. And you've already caused a new stir, being a new heart. I do believe that they've surrounded my camp even now. Good thing they know better than to test me."

Tensing, Riku turned away from the warmth of the fire to peer into the darkness. He couldn't see anything.

No, wait.

There was a flash of glowing eyes off in the distance. In the next second, there were two other flashes, skirting just inside his peripheral view. Riku scowled at the sight then turned his back to the shadows. If they couldn't come into the camp than it wasn't worth his time to worry about them. But still. With a sigh, Riku ran a hand through his silver hair, carding out a few tangles with his fingers. God, he already had tangles. This world was horrible.

"But you'll be wanting to know how to return to the human world, am I right?"

"Yeah." Riku nodded, clapping his hands on his legs. "I'm just about done with this place. So, how do I get back?"

"I don't know the trick myself, I'm not an animal spirit. You'll be needing to find one if you want to go back to your world, and as it is, I doubt that many would have the strength to create a portal that could support you as well as themselves." Luxord gave Riku a particularly searching look then scratched his beard and shrugged. "I'm taking a gamble here but you might want to try setting off along the path to the east, heading toward the mountains. There might be someone off in that direction who could help you out."

"'There might be someone who can help me?' Could you get any vaguer?"

"Oh, easily. At the moment though that is as specific as I can get, so be thankful. But before you head off I suppose we should take care of that leg of yours. Hold out your ankle, boy." Riku did so with some hesitation, rolling up his jeans to reveal four short but deep gashes in his skin where the Heartless had struck. Riku fought against the need to panic at the sight of them and the way his blood had turned dark and caked up around the wounds. Luxord though only hummed a thoughtful noise and reached into his pocket again, this time pulling out a pair of dice. "The wound's not a bad one at all. A low roll should fix that right up."

He tossed the pair of dice up into the air. They tumbled over each other then clattered to the ground, rolling to a stop neatly beside Luxord's hand. A three and a four. "More than enough," Luxord murmured. "Cure."

Riku gasped as a green light suddenly engulfed his wounds, the cuts closing up together as if time was being reversed. Even the blood, dried or not, vanished as if it had never left his body in the first place. Within seconds, the gashes were gone.

"How, how did you do that?"

"Simple Cure spell. Any spirit could manage it. Now if I were you I would start off on the eastern road. That is, if you want to get home anytime soon."

Riku frowned as a sudden thought hit him. "But what about those Heartless things? Come with me, I've got nothing to protect myself with."

Luxord reached into his pocket and pulled out a card then smirked and flipped it around to show Riku. "I'm afraid I can't. Two of diamonds. Bad luck on your part. But you'll be alright. Just keep to the path and don't stray into the darker shadows." Luxord noticed the worried frown on Riku's face and tilted his head to the side. "If you're truly that frightened then take this," reaching into a pocket on the inside of his trench coat, he pulled out a ring. He tossed it to the silver-haired youth who just managed to catch it. The ring was made of some black material and was smooth and cold as stone. "It's a Chaos ring. It will protect you against the weaker Dark creatures, which are the only thing around this forest. Don't take it off until you feel you are safe though. The moment it is off your person is the moment you're open for attack."

Riku frowned but slipped the ring onto his left hand, shivering as it sent a chill through his body. After taking a second to adjust to the feeling, he looked back over to Luxord. "So," he began, voice betraying his inner disbelief, "You're actually going to send me out on my own?"

"Yes. Why? Are you frightened?"

"After what happened with that Heartless, I should have a right to be." He held up his left hand and clenched his fist, feeling the cold of the ring against his palm, "But if this thing really keeps them away, then no, I'm not scared. I just have to follow the road toward the mountains, right?"

"I think so, yes."

Riku sneered. "Wow. Thanks for the help."

Luxord smiled congenially, showing no acknowledgement of Riku's sarcasm. "You are quite welcome. Now, off you go."

Snorting, Riku nonetheless stood up, sending Luxord one last disdainful look before he started to walk away from the campfire, leaving Luxord there with his fire and cart. He couldn't believe that he was being kicked back out into the wilderness, but if that was what was going to happen then fine; he would take it in stride. Jenovan's showed no fear of the unknown, no fear of the darkness. Showing fear about Heartless on the other hand was a little more understandable. After all, they were actually dangerous.

Riku frowned, pulling his jacket closer around his body as the chill of the night soaked back into his skin. He fought the urge to turn around and walk back to the fire. He had pride, damn it. He was not going back to that fire. No matter how warm it was. He could suffer in silence.

Hissing in annoyance, Riku wrapped his arms around himself to try to keep some of the warmth in. So he had never been so cold in his life. Well, his family had gone to the snow once. None of them had fun on that trip. They had spent most of their time warm in their rented vacation house. Riku continued to walk away from the camp though, following the road Luxord had indicated. At least the way was fairly clear. Even in the dark, the dirt path was clearly distinct from the even darker underbrush and fallen leaves at its sides. This made it somewhat easier to avoid the deepest shadows cast by the hint of light peeking over the mountain range ahead of him.

About an hour into his forced march he was beginning to wish that he had gotten Luxord to share a bit of his dinner, or noontime snack or whatever, with him. He grimaced as his stomach gave an annoyed rumble. How long had it been since he had eaten? He had had dinner at the mall, but it had only been a slice of pizza, hardly filling. It hadn't even been good pizza. And by his estimates, that had been a good eight hours ago at least.

Scowling again as his stomach rumbled, Riku grit his teeth and ignored it. For now anyway, he would have to go hungry. There certainly weren't any chefs around, and he was not going to demean himself into hunting for berries or whatever it was people did when they were lost in the forest.

It was boring though, walking. Especially walking in the dark without knowing just how far it will be until reaching your destination. Once he managed to get a hang of steering clear of the darker shadows, the fear of facing Heartless began to die down. And knowing that the ring, what a girly idea in the first place, Luxord had given him kept away the Heartless only increased his sense of security, which, once again, led to greater boredom.

He had just about felt himself slip into a comatose state when he suddenly noticed that as he continued to walk the forest was beginning to close in on the road. Twisting branches from the bare trees were reaching over the dirt path and up ahead and Riku could clearly see that the road was quickly going to be swallowed up by the dense forest. Meaning that there was going to be dark shadows. Blowing out a visible sigh in the cold air, Riku turned around for the first time. There was no sign of helpful life anywhere. It was strange actually, at the lack of animal noises there had been in the forest. Maybe the Heartless had scared everything else away. Of course, if he really was in a spirit world, then there might not even be the normal stock of forest animals. Maybe it was better that he hadn't run into anything yet. The choice now was whether to keep on walking and hope that he'd bump into whoever it was Luxord was talking about or whether to turn back before things became potentially dangerous. Keep going, or take the five hour hike back to Luxord's camp?

Keep going.

It might be bad running into Heartless, but it would be worse still to crawl back to Luxord any time soon. With his mind set, Riku took a hesitant step forward into the shadow of the overhanging forest. There was an immediate change in temperature, the air around him turning from cold to absolutely freezing. Riku shivered then huffed out a quick breath, trying to adjust to the new temperature. As his eyes adjusted to the now near-pitch blackness, he could begin to pick out movement amongst the trees.

The glowing eyes were back again.

Clenching his fist, Riku kept walking. He had been ignorant the first time one of those Heartless had attacked. If they tried it again, he would be more ready. For a few steps, he watched as the Heartless became braver, came closer, started inching onto the path. They moved in near silence. Suddenly, one of them walked onto the path then sunk into the ground, flattening out and looking like a shadow itself as it rushed over to him. Riku took a step back, muttering a low curse as it popped back up barely a foot from him. Soon enough, two other Heartless popped up out of the ground right behind the first, their glowing eyes staring at him with unblinking hunger. Without warning, the first one leapt forward. Riku shouted, throwing up an arm to defend himself. Just before the thing landed on him though, there was a black flash from the Chaos ring Luxord had given him. The Heartless flew back as if it had been rebuffed by a shield, tumbling into the other two. Riku blinked then smirked and straightened up, looking down at the ring with new appreciation. So the thing was worth something after all.

Smirking, Riku tilted his head to the side. "What? Is that all you got?"

One of the Heartless hissed, scrambling out of the tangle of the other two. Its antennae twitched almost angrily as it struck out at Riku with sharp claws only to be flung back like the one before it. Despite their failed efforts though, all three got back onto their feet and faced Riku again. They weren't giving up. In fact they appeared to be getting more excited, jumping up and down and tentatively pulling apart as if to surround him. It was only then that Riku noticed that they weren't alone. More Heartless were starting to come out of the forest, dozens of them by the number of bulging yellow eyes.

Unsure now as to whether his ring would still hold out against so many of the dark creatures, Riku broke away before they could completely surround him.

Once again, he was running.

But this time, there were more than just one. Now it was a small army after him. And right now, he was really hoping that Luxord knew what he was talking about and that there was someone nearby. As he ran, the forest continued to consume the road, the tunnel of trees closing in on him. Branches were starting to dip down to eye level, sharp and hard without their leaves. And as the road bottlenecked and became more tangled, Riku was forced to take more time to weave around the obstacles, giving the Heartless opportunity to catch up.

Breaths coming out harsh from the sprint, Riku grabbed a branch that was hanging into the middle of the path, about to vault over it as he heard at least one Heartless directly behind him. Thinking quickly, he paused to snap the branch off. He felt the rush of air behind him of claws and whipped around, cracking the branch over the head of the Heartless immediately behind him. It tumbled to the ground but Riku couldn't tell if he had killed it or not as it was immediately overrun by more of its kind. Gritting his teeth, Riku continued to run.

He had never used any sort of weapon, but had played baseball before, and he was athletically fit, so every time he felt a Heartless get too close, he turned around to smack it away. He could feel himself tiring fast, but there really wasn't anything he could do about it. If he didn't run, and if he didn't fight back, he wouldn't be able to depend on one little ring to save him from the hoard of living darkness behind him. So he had to keep running, no matter how tired he was. The Heartless were catching up. He could tell. The frigid air on his back had to be coming from them, and it was getting colder as they continued to approach.

Suddenly, one popped up right in front of him from the ground. Tripping over his feet, Riku fumbled to strike it away when the Chaos ring on his finger flashed again, signifying that something had just tried to strike his back. With a growl, Riku twisted around only to be faced with a wall of Heartless, the creatures stacked on top of each other to form a roiling tower taller than he was. He swung out at them, slicing through a layer of them only to have the gap filled up again before he had blinked. His ring was nearly blinding him at this point as Heartless surged forward from all sides, sure to give out at any minute. Soon Riku couldn't tell which way was the path and which was the forest. All he knew was that he was going to be swallowed whole by the Heartless.

In one latch ditch attempt, Riku threw himself at one of the sides, using the branch to bodily force the Heartless back as black claws struck out at him, one or two of them landing their mark with every set of strikes. With one last burst of energy, he forced his way through only to find him stumbling into a wall of tree branches and low bushes.

Terrific.

He had fallen off of the path.

But there was nothing for it now; he had to keep moving. But he was exhausted. Every step forward sent a sting of pain through his body. Everything was cramping, his clothes were getting stained with the blood from those scratches that had managed to hit his skin. His body was freezing, shivering.

Panting, Riku stopped for a moment to catch his breath but the pause caused his legs to give out from under him. He gritted his teeth as he fell to his knees, shaking fingers grabbing for his makeshift weapon. The heaviness of the branch though, was too much for his weakened limbs. Hearing the rustle of bushes behind him, Riku sucked in a breath then forced himself onto his feet. Everything hurt. His vision was swimming in front of his eyes. But he took a step forward anyway.

Reaching forward to support himself against a tree trunk, he let out a shout of surprise as the tree underneath his hand bent under his weight, sending him tumbling into a clearing. The first impression was, light. Everything was lit up, a thick floral scent filling the air.

Groaning, he shakily put his palms against the ground, surprised to find his fingers brushing through thick grass and…flowers. It was the first delicate form of plant life he had ever seen in this world that was alive. And they were beautiful flowers. Taking in a shuddering breath, he blinked as a shadow fell over him. Anticipating a Heartless, he shook his silver hair out of his face, aquamarine eyes widening. It wasn't a Heartless.

It was a wolf.

It was a big wolf, with silver fur and even with his tiring mind could see its striking neon blue eyes. And it was currently snarling at him. Swallowing, Riku locked eyes with it which only increased the animal's growls. He had escaped the Heartless only to get mauled by a giant wolf. His fingers dug into the ground, wrapping around the stems of the flowers as he fought to catch his breath.

"Cloud. Leave him be, he's injured."

The wolf's snarling ceased at the gentle order, its head jerking to the side almost as if he was physically pushed away. Then he snorted and with one final glare at Riku leapt over the fallen youth, charging head on into the forest where the army of Heartless was still undoubtedly raging. A moment later, there were quiet footsteps coming toward him and Riku struggled to sit up. His rising shoulders were met with soft touch and he looked up to see a beautiful woman smiling down at him. She had long brown hair held back in a braid, her green eyes gentle with concern as she crouched down. Her outfit wasn't anything spectacular, it was pretty and pink, but simply made, perfectly suited for the nature setting.

When she saw that she had his attention, the woman's smile grew a little. "Hello there. My name is Aerith. You've been exposed to a lot of darkness. Please, hold still while I heal you. I promise it will all feel better in a moment."

Riku let out a trembling breath as Aerith murmured, "Curaga." Instantly, Riku's cuts and aching muscles felt better. And he could feel the warmth coming from the clearing now. He leaned back with relief, managing a charming smile now that his body wasn't so intolerably exhausted. "Thanks. My name's Riku Jenovan." His smile turned to a dry chuckle. "Not that it matters in this world, I suppose."

Aerith's green eyes had widened slightly at his name but then she tilted her head to the side. Reaching down, she lifted his chin curiously. "You're a long way from your home, aren't you, Riku?"

"More than you know." Riku leaned back, away from her touch, her maternal warmth almost irritating him. He had never had a mother himself, so it was a new and foreign feeling.

The feeling of warm calm was interrupted when a figure entered the clearing behind Riku. Tilting his head back, Riku's eyes widened when a young man stalked passed him. The man's blond hair stood up in wild spikes, his pale skin set off by his black outfit he wore that reminded Riku a lot of what his older brothers would wear. But it was his giant sword that really caught Riku's attention; he didn't know how the man could carry it with one hand.

Aerith looked happy to see the newcomer though and reached out her hand to him. "Cloud, how did everything go?"

Cloud only grunted. The response appeared to seem normal enough to Aerith because she ran a fond hand down his sleeve, her fingers stopping on a small tear. Frowning, she stepped closer to the young man, peeking into the tear to his arm below. "Oh, you should have said something about this cut. Even something small can become infected if it's not taken care of quickly enough. You should know that."

"It's nothing." Oh, so the blond spoke. Riku hadn't been sure.

Cloud turned his gaze onto him and Riku suddenly recognized the eyes. They were the same eyes as the wolf's. And their names, weren't they the same too? Staring at the man's almost feminine face, Riku just barely caught Aerith's words as she began talking again. "Cloud. This is Riku. Riku, this is Cloud." Cloud merely grunted again, clearly uninterested on even acknowledging Riku's existence.

Riku frowned, pulling himself onto his feet, tottering only once as he addressed Cloud. "You were that wolf, right?"

Aerith winced a little as Cloud sent Riku a poisonous glare, the man's neon blue eyes blazing with not-so-subtle rage. "What of it?" The man snarled.

Riku shrugged, keeping his head high under the glare. "I was just curious. I've got nothing against it or anything." He switched his gaze over to Aerith. "When I first came here I ran into a man named Luxord. He told me that I should head east to find someone who could help me get back to the human world. I don't suppose you would be that person?"

"I was wondering where you had come across a Chaos ring. You are lucky Luxord gave it to you." Aerith tilted her head to the side then hummed sadly. "Unfortunately as an elemental I never really had the ability. Cloud…" Cloud scowled and turned away from them, moving to the other side of the flower-covered clearing where he stabbed his sword into the ground then dropped down behind it. Clutching her hands together, Aerith sighed then turned back to Riku. "I'm sorry. Cloud's strong but not strong enough to take someone along with him to the human world, not with all of this darkness. Truthfully, we can barely manage to upkeep the light in this clearing."

"So what are you saying? That I'm stuck here now?" Riku frowned as Aerith's face dropped. "I've got a life back on Destiny Islands, I can't just give it up. I've got a girlfriend, a car, a life! I can't deal with this!"

Just as his voice rose to a near shout, he was suddenly cut off by the tip of a sword pointed directly at his throat. It was Cloud. Somehow he had managed to cross the clearing before Riku had even known he had moved. "Your problem is not her problem." He growled.

Riku had taken a guess at the man's connection to the wolf but he could see it clearly now. The man had a wild look in his eyes and he could almost see Cloud bristling as a dog might. Quickly, Aerith intervened, raising her voice for the first time to an almost angry level. "Cloud! It's okay. Put the sword down. It's okay." Cloud slowly, reluctantly, lowered his massive sword, though Riku swore he could still feel it's cool metal against his throat. Only once she saw that Cloud was calming did Aerith look back to Riku. "I know this must be confusing for you. I can't imagine how different this place must be. We'll do everything we can to help you return to the world of the humans. But I wonder, how did you get here in the first place?"

"I was just in my car with my friend, Axel-"

The name caused Cloud to bristle again, his blue eyes sharpening as Aerith raised her hand to her lips. Looking between the two of them, Riku frowned and crossed his arms. "What, have you heard of him?"

"Axel…We thought he had died in the palace on the night of the raid. But, if he is involved with this, he must have thought that you'd be able to help with the situation." Looking more excited now, she turned to Cloud. "Do you think that you could go and see Demyx? He might know more about what's going on. We might be closer to finding what happened to your brothers!"

Cloud frowned but nodded, slung his sword over his shoulder then walked out of the clearing and back into the forest.

Smiling gently, Aerith turned to Riku. "You probably have a better chance of returning to your home if you follow Cloud. I'm afraid that I can't give you much more help than what I've done."

"I don't think he likes me much."

"You just remind him of someone he's not too fond of. But I'm sure he'll see you as your own separate person soon enough; he just has to adjust to you. Give him some time. Go with him. Please. It will help you understand so much more."

Riku frowned with curiosity but nonetheless followed after Cloud. The blond hadn't even waited for him but Riku had the feeling that with that sword of his, there would be few Heartless left to be a danger.

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	4. Chapter 4

Woot! Onto chapter four! Awesomeness, it's like I'm on an almost once a week roll or something. ;P Things are finally sort of getting started. Patience, dear reader dudes, the plot will really get going soon enough, but introductions must be made. ^^' Looking around at the number of reviews I've been getting though has made me consider a possible theory. fantasy genre stories don't get many reviews. So sad, because some of them are really good. The goal I set for you then (I know I have at least 22 people reading this story, I can see you in the "story alert" tab ^^) is to review for at least one fantasy story that you like, just to get these numbers up a bit more. Doesn't have to be my story, any one of them will do. If you review for more than one fantasy story then you are my hero.

Anyway, speaking of reviews and heroic acts of wonderfullness, I'd like to thank: ramen-is-my-goddess, PirataNoctis, A-chan, XfallenXshadowX, Ivy J., kurumaotokoiscarmen. You people are my Muses and inspiration. Pat yourselves on the back for being awesome. ^^

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Chapter 4

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_Riku leaned back, his hands digging into the warm sand behind him as they supported his weight. This view, looking out into the brilliant aquamarine ocean, the sky a brilliant pinkish orange from the setting sun; it was what people paid for when they traveled to Destiny Islands. And he got it every day of his life. Smirking, Riku stared out at the ocean waves. No one could say that he didn't try to appreciate the beauty every once in a while._

_The sound of sand crunching underneath footsteps caught his ears and Riku tilted his head back to see Axel picking his way down the beach. The redhead looked almost comical with his punk boots clutched in his hands and his pants rolled up to mid-calf, his pale bare feet kicking up bits of sand as he made his way over. Seeing Riku's aqua gaze on him, Axel smirked casually, putting his hand on his hip. "Hey, fancy meeting you here."_

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_

_Axel shrugged lazily. "I just never took Riku Jenovan to be the romantic type. Watching the sunset, who'd have thought?"_

"_I thought I might as well." Tossing his silver hair back, Riku glanced over his shoulder at Axel. "There must be something to it after all, if so many people want to see it."_

_Chuckling, Axel dropped down next to the younger teen, his eyes drifting off to the sunset on the sea's horizon. He was quiet for a moment then reached into his pockets, quickly pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up. After a long exhale of smoke, he spoke up. "So, how was your day after school ended?"_

"_As expected. I finished up homework, hung out at home, played some games, then came out here."_

"_Sounds good and relaxing." Axel blew out another puff of smoke. "Hey, Riku?" Riku looked over then shifted his body so that he was facing Axel a bit more. Right now what Axel had to say was sure to be more interesting than the sunset anyway. Axel glanced over then smirked. "Do you believe in myths and legends?"_

_Riku raised an eyebrow. "What, you mean like fairy tales and shit like that?" When Axel nodded, Riku snorted. "Hell no. I didn't even believe in that stuff when I was a kid. Father wouldn't let it into the house. Why?"_

_Shrugging, Axel's acidic green eyes turned back to the sunset. "Just asking."_

_Riku shook his head with a sigh. "I would ask if you believe in that shit but I'm afraid of the answer. It's bad enough with Namine in the house. She's always leaving her sketches around filled with things like fairies and these fantastical worlds. It's like she wants to piss Father off. I don't need you living off in dreamland along with her."_

_Axel laughed, the sound quick and harsh. "That sounds like Namine. I'm surprised you haven't talked to her about it though."_

"_Why would I talk to her about it? I don't care what she draws. Now, did you just come here to talk about Namine's drawings or do you actually have something to say?"_

"_Nah. I don't really have anything to talk about. We could just hang out and watch the sunset before heading out to dinner." Getting a nod from Riku, Axel grinned and settled back down, both of them falling quiet as they looked out into the ocean. As Axel smoked, Riku sighed and rested more weight back onto his arms. This was nice. It seemed like he was only able to have these moments of comfortable quiet when he was with Axel. Sure, Namine was quiet, but she was so inclined to silence that the quiet was empty and awkward. And being with Kairi certainly wasn't a calm experience; he made sure of that._

_After a few minutes, Axel's quiet drawl cut through the tropical evening air, a stream of cigarette smoke floating up from between his lips. "Sunset sure is pretty though."_

"_You only like it because it looks like fire."_

_Axel smirked, glancing over at Riku, his voice lowering to a thoughtful murmur. "Hey, we're luckier than you know being able to see this. Personally, I prefer sunrise, but sunset is just as pretty. And yeah, it looks like fire, but then again maybe its fire that tries to match the beauty of a sunset." Riku sent him a look and Axel blinked then laughed. "Sorry that I'm waxing poetic right now. I might be a little bit high."_

_Rolling his eyes, Riku shook his head. "Whatever. I'll let you finish watching your 'beautiful' sunset and then we can get to dinner."_

Trekking through the dark forest of the spirit world, Riku couldn't help but feel wistful for Destiny Islands, where, you know, the sun rose. Perpetual darkness was messing with his sense of time. As well as he could figure, he had been in the spirit world for at least two days now. And for the last few hours, he had been subjected to following a silent, dangerous blond through said tangle of black trees and bushes.

Cloud had his sword clutched loosely in his right hand, almost casually swinging at any underbrush or Heartless that were in his path. He didn't show any change in emotion between the two things. He also seemed to be impervious to fatigue. He just kept on walking at a pace that Riku could barely keep up with, never hesitating a step. Riku on the other hand was tripping over every other damn protruding rock or root. Twice he had put his hand down against a tree trunk to stabilize himself only to get it covered in sap. Worst of all, Heartless had been figuring out that if they attacked him, from behind, they could get in a few scratches before Cloud would bother to turn around and kill them.

Nursing the last scratch to his arm, it wasn't deep but it still stung like hell, Riku glared at Cloud's back. It didn't help that the spirit was wearing all black. The only thing he could really see in the dark was Cloud's blond spiky hair.

And Riku had to admit, he could still sense the hatred rippling from Cloud. The blond never turned back to check that he was still following unless Riku cried out from being attacked. It was humiliating. Not to mention Riku had a suspicion that Cloud was deliberately trying to lose him with his fast pace. The humiliation was turning to exasperated rage.

The forest setting slowly thinned out again until they were walking into what looked to be a bare meadow. Riku was fairly sure it must have been filled with flowers once, like Aerith's glen was. But the darkness had once again left any of the more sensitive plants dead, so now it was just filled with rocks and clods of dirt. Not exactly picturesque. Tired, slightly bloody, and now angry, Riku finally stopped walking in the middle of the field. "Alright," he growled. "Stop. I'm sick of this."

Much to his surprise, Cloud stopped. Maybe he was just looking forward to confronting the silver-haired youth. Instead of turning fully around though, Cloud simply looked back at him over his shoulder. "What is it?"

Scowling, Riku went to run a hand through his hair then thought better of it, wiping his hands on his pants instead, anger fueled when he saw that they had several rips and stains on them already. These pants had been specifically bought from the top designer on Destiny Islands, tailored exactly to his measurements. "Look. Cloud. I don't know what your issue is, and I don't really care. But you can't take your problems out on me. I've got nothing to do with it!"

Cloud's visible blue eye narrowed and Riku's face darkened.

Throwing out his hand, Riku raised his voice. "Whoever hurt you before, I'm not him. I don't even know who that person is. I've never been here before, so give me a damn break! Stop being so dark and angsty, you're not proving anything by pushing me to my limits, so cut it out, bastard!"

Cloud twitched as Riku's voice rose to a shout before his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. Twisting around fully, Cloud tightened his grip on his sword and let the tip fall from his shoulder to the ground. "Fool. Don't pick a fight against an opponent you've no hope of beating."

"I'll pick a fight with you if I want. I've only spent a few hours with you and I'm already tired of you!"

Within the blink of an eye Cloud had knocked him to the ground. It was like he had been attacked by Kadaj, but ten times worse. Much faster. He was already tired, but the ground's blow to his back actually caused him to black out for a few seconds. And now there was a sword at his throat again. Cloud was glaring down at him, his neon eyes blazing, nearly glowing, the shine reflecting along the length of the sword. "You're right." He growled. "I shouldn't be comparing the two of you if you can't even block a simple strike. Absolutely pathetic." He paused, staring down at Riku for a moment before he sniffed and straightened up, his sword falling to his side. "Don't move."

Riku stared as Cloud stalked off, back toward the forest they had just left. As soon as he thought the blond-haired man was out of hearing range, he let out a low groan and sat up, a pounding already coming from his head where it had smacked against the hard dirt ground. That tackle had hurt. He probably had whiplash from how fast Cloud had sprung on him.

Speaking of Cloud, that damn wolf had been gone for a few good minutes now. With a grunt, Riku tottered back up onto his feet, patting the visible dirt off of his pants and shirt. He didn't even want to touch his hair. It was probably disgusting by now since he hadn't showered for days. Sighing, Riku looked back for any sign of Cloud. The bastard had probably left him alone to be eaten by a horde of Heartless. Riku was still pissed though; he hadn't done anything to Cloud. He didn't deserve Cloud's idiotic anger. Damn, his head was still spinning from the tackle.

Something suddenly struck the back of his head, sending him stumbling a few steps forward. Cursing, he clutched his head, nasty hair or not, as the pain swelled to an entirely new level. His eyes narrowed with rage as he whipped around to see Cloud smirking almost smugly behind him.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"If I'm being forced to babysit you, you're learning how to defend yourself. Pick it up."

Riku looked down at his feet to see a large stick, like the one he had tried to fight the Heartless with earlier. Before he reached down, he glanced over at Cloud to see that he was also holding a stick in his left hand, the man's right still clutching onto his massive sword. "What is this?"

"This is your break. We're not moving a step forward until you can block me properly. I'll even spare you my sword arm. Now, defend yourself."

Riku shouted as Cloud suddenly sprang forward. Even with that sword weighing him down, he moved like lightening and struck Riku on the side of his arm, undoubtedly leaving a welt. With a hiss, Riku grabbed the arm then scrambled for the stick on the ground as Cloud turned around to strike again. Before he could even wrap his fingers around it, the spirit swung at Riku again, this time landing a sharp rap on the hand reaching for the stick. Yelping, Riku shook out his stinging hand, glaring up at Cloud before he snatched the stick. He fell back a few steps to re-orientate himself and lifted the makeshift weapon up into a defensive position.

"Good." Cloud growled. "Now block me!"

Gritting his teeth, Riku tightened his grip on the stick, holding it as Cloud was wielding his. Even though his grip was good though, when Cloud's blow made contact, it threw him back a good few steps. What he didn't expect though, was to Cloud immediately to shift his weight and direct another strike down at his legs, pulling his feet out from underneath him.

As Riku fell once again to the ground, Cloud sighed and straightened up. "You would have lost your legs if I was using a real sword. But you protected your chest, although it was an obvious attack on my part. Catch your breath, we will continue once you can move."

Letting out a moan of exasperation, Riku let his head fall back into the dirt.

He hated this world. With a passion.

After that first impromptu training session, Cloud developed a painfully consistent pattern. He would force a march for hours until Riku could barely stay on his feet, chopping through whatever Heartless had the misfortune of attacking them. Then without warning, he would suddenly turn around and attack Riku right when he wasn't expecting it. Every single time.

Riku thought that he would be at least able to ready himself in time once, but no. It was as if Cloud had a sixth sense for when his mind started to wander and it got to the point where Riku didn't dare to let go of that stupid stick that was supposed to be a training weapon. Hell, maybe Cloud did have a sixth sense. In any case, after the quick and often pathetic fight, Cloud would then set up a small camp of sorts. Cloud would start a fire with a word of magic then go out to hunt while Riku stoked up the blaze in an attempt to warm up. Then they would eat and then Cloud would stomp out the fire and force them into another march. One out of three times he actually allowed a short nap, but those seemed few and far between to Riku who had always had the luxury of sleeping, as long as he wanted, with a full stomach.

After one particularly brutal lesson from Cloud on "how to strike," Riku found himself once again crouched over a fire, grumbling to himself as he rubbed his hands together, trying to create as much friction heat as he could. Ever since they had left Aerith's glen he had been getting colder and colder. It was almost as if the darkness was pressing in on him, seeping into his clothes even. Shivering as a cold wind brushed across his back, Riku scowled and buried his hands into his jacket. Once again, the tragedy of having clothes meant for a tropical climate was hitting him full force. It had to be near freezing in this freakish world, and the fact that the wind had picked up a bit was helping neither the chill nor the small fire.

Luckily, fire wood was readily available. With the pace Cloud had been keeping, they had long since left the dirt-bare fields and had returned into another forested area. The change in scenery seemed to be a relief to both of them. Riku was happy because there was now more than scraggly brush to try and keep a fire going. He had also noticed that as soon as they had returned to the trees Cloud had relaxed slightly. At least he was no longer scanning their surroundings with such paranoid diligence. Now his scans had been reduced to a somewhat cautious diligence. Maybe it was because they were no longer so completely out in the open.

The quiet crunch of dead leaves brought Riku's attention back to the present, and to his complaining stomach. Tilting his head around, he scowled at Cloud as the blond man entered their current campsite. "What took you so long?"

Snorting, Cloud held out two dead rabbits. At least, they looked like rabbits. Riku really couldn't be too sure about anything in this world. "Food's scare."

Riku winced, thanks to morbid fascination unable to look away as Cloud deftly skinned, gutted, and skewered the small animals. As soon as the most gruesome aspects of the meal were over and the raw meat was now hanging over the fire, Riku found his voice again. "Yeah, I noticed that everything's kind of empty here. Is that kind of low population normal?"

Cloud shook his head, blue eyes looking down at his lap as he toyed with a stray, dead leaf. For a few moments, he was silent, as if thinking things over. Seconds before Riku was about to question him again, Cloud spoke up, his low voice quieter than usual, forcing Riku to lean forward if he wanted to hear properly. "Once there were many more animals, and many more spirits. But because of the darkness, the animals have died and all spirits with the ability have gone into hiding or have left for the human world."

Riku frowned, eyes searching Cloud's face for any sign of emotion as the blond stopped speaking. Cloud was a wolf spirit, so according to what Luxord had told him, and inferring from what Aerith had said, he should have the ability to go into the human world himself. Because animal spirits could do that while elementals couldn't. Leaning back, Riku tilted his head to the side, shaking his silver bangs away from his eyes. "Why haven't you left? This place isn't doing you any good."

"I would die before abandoning those I cherish."

Riku blinked at the low reply then shrugged, his gaze drifting away from the glow of the fire to the darkness of the woods around them. "You're nothing but a romantic then. I couldn't live in a place like this. It feels like everything's rotting away." He looked back at Cloud, a frown making his way back onto his lips. "It's depressing as hell."

Cloud locked gazes with him, his eyes glowing intensely. "As long as others have hope, we stay here in this world. I don't like it, but we stay."

One of Riku's eyebrows rose at hearing this. Of course, Cloud had already shown an almost subservient loyalty to Aerith. Riku supposed it must aggravate the sprit then, that they were stuck in such dismal conditions. It would be hard to take care of others when just trying to survive yourself. But Cloud looked as if he could handle the environment. His lean, almost thin, frame was clearly meant for survival. And his clothes, the black turtleneck, pants, and accessories; it was as if they had been made specifically to blend into a land of endless night. Thinking back to Aerith though, and her bright pink dress, it seemed almost as if Cloud had given into the environment, that he was fighting it only for her sake.

They fell into a kind of silence after Cloud's words. After eating, despite Riku's fervent protests, Cloud got back onto his feet, his hand reaching out seemingly automatically for his weapon. Knowing that he would be left alone if he were to try to protest and stay behind, Riku grudgingly stood up as well, though not without his fill of protests. He didn't really care if it annoyed Cloud; he wasn't used to this kind of treatment, he'd complain if he wanted to.

After another half hour of walking, Riku realized with some surprise that the trees were getting greener. They actually had leaves, dark and draped with moss as they were. They actually looked alive. And they had grown larger as well, their roots bowing underneath the ground cover of leaves, their trunks so wide that Riku doubted if three men could reach around them and touch fingers. It was as if they had entered a night-time Jurassic scene.

"Watch your step here."

Riku glanced up just in time to have his foot fall through a cover of dead leaves and into a pool of water. Cold water. Hissing, Riku pulled his leg up, glaring up at a smug-looking Cloud. "What the hell? You couldn't have warned me sooner?!"

"I didn't think you were that blind."

Fuming, Riku attempted to shake out his leg. His pants were sticking to his skin and were now freezing. He didn't even want to think about the water in his sock and shoe. With a mutter of disgust, Riku poked at the pool with his training stick, his eyes widening when the small wave rippled out under the leaves, carrying out for yards. They were surrounded by water! "Where the hell are we?" He muttered.

"The marshes."

"Marshes?" Riku watched as Cloud sniffed the air, apparently searching for something then bent down to get a better look at the so-called marsh. He pushed away some of the dead leaves and saw in fact, that the water below was a marshy murky green, though just clean enough to allow a wavering reflection. And Riku did not like what he saw. His hair was an absolute mess, hanging around his face as if he was some sort of homeless man, tangled and unkempt. And even from the reflection he could tell that his face was dirty, he didn't even want to take a good look at his clothes. He knew that they would be disgusting. Groaning, Riku dipped his hand into the water, trying to wash off his face at least a bit. He had never allowed himself to be so dirty. It was so wrong.

"Get up, we're moving."

Mourning the state of his appearance, Riku nonetheless straightened up, crossing his arms as he watched Cloud tentatively begin to pick his way across the ground. "And where are we even going? This place is full of land mine water pools, Cloud. I'm not taking a step forward unless I know this is actually going to lead somewhere."

Cloud ignored him.

With a quiet huff, Riku looked around at their surroundings then reluctantly began to follow after Cloud. As it turned out, he was right to have paid attention to exactly where the wolf spirit was stepping. With a layer of fallen leaves covering everything like a blanket, it was near impossible for him to tell what was solid ground and what was water. Cloud though nimbly leapt from dry patch to dry patch as if on a memorized path, all the time with his head perked up toward the direction ahead. He was barely looking at where he was going. In contrast, Riku had his eyes trained on the ground, and even still he managed to slip into the water several times, soaking both legs well up to the knee.

After a while and one particularly nasty fall, he finally threw his arms up into the air. "Alright. Where the hell are we going and how are you managing to stay dry?!"

"I stay dry because I can smell the water. And I'm only following the sound of the music."

Riku paused, frowning. He couldn't hear any music. In fact, so far their little adventure had been strangely quiet except for the odd Heartless attack. Which reminded him, "Where are all the Heartless?"

"They don't dare come within the territory of a god."

Riku was about to ask just what Cloud was talking about when he suddenly caught the faint sound of a melody. Lifting his head as Cloud turned in the direction of the sound, Riku strained to hear more. It sounded like a string instrument, vaguely. The tune was playful too, skillfully played certainly. With peaked interest now that he wasn't completely out of the loop, Riku began to follow Cloud with renewed curiosity.

As they picked their way through the marsh, always in the direction of the music, it became clearer and clearer, until Riku found himself actually being able to enjoy the sound of complete songs. The trees in the area were becoming thicker though, and the water deeper. The water itself was clear now, free of any debris so that it appeared to be crystal pools of indeterminable depth, reflecting the green from the leaves above. If he looked closely, Riku could even make out the occasional flicker of a fish that darted just underneath the surface, their colors bright and eye-catching oranges, reds, and purples.

Slipping around the massive trunk of a tree just two steps behind Cloud, Riku felt his breath escaping as a gasp when he saw the biggest tree yet directly in front of them. It must have been thousands of years old, but what was most breath-taking was not the size of the tree itself, but the fact that it had been turned into a house of sorts. There was a rough stone construction at the base of its trunk forming a thick, sturdy arch, an open door leading into the trunk of the tree which was itself punctured by windows and doors higher up the trunk which led out to jutting balconies. This was all just barely visible from the roaring glow of a campfire in front of the tree, which in itself managed to light up the entire area into an almost cheerful place.

And sitting in front of the tree house next to the fire was a young man strumming away on a sitar. His pant legs were rolled up to mid-thigh, feet dangling into a pool of water. His dirty blond hair was styled up at all angles, more startling at first than even Cloud's hair had been. His eyes were closed but as soon as Cloud and Riku came within speaking range, they flickered open to reveal two dancing blue orbs.

"Hey! I felt you coming." The young man grinned, sending a cheerful wink in Riku's direction. "Someone hit the water more than once, gave me a good head's up. I tried to help you out with a little bit of music to follow. Not that you needed it, Cloud. I know how good your nose is!" Hopping to his feet, the young man walked over to them, still cradling his sitar in his arms. Despite his cheerfulness though, his gaze was on Riku, almost a little guarded. He glanced once over to Cloud with curiosity before his eyes flickered back to Riku. "But who did you bring with you, Cloud? Doesn't look like your regular crowd. Not that I have anything against his type, of course."

Riku's eyebrow rose. What did this guy mean, 'his type'? Did he have something against regular humans? Cloud quickly but rather grudgingly spoke up. "His name is Riku. From the human world. Where's Axel?"

"Getting right to the point as always, eh, Cloud? At least let me introduce myself first!" Thrusting out his hand toward Riku, the young man took another step forward. "Hello! My name is Demyx. It's nice to meet you, Riku. I haven't been to the human world in a long time, haven't got the chance actually. You'll have to tell me about everything that's changed since I last visited!"

Riku cordially shook the blond's hand, as his father had taught him, then asked. "So, Demyx. Are you an elemental or an animal spirit?"

For some reason, Cloud shifted almost uncomfortably and Demyx let out a laugh. "Oh wow, you really aren't from here!" Grinning, he wagged his finger in Riku's direction. "Here in the spirit world it's very rude to ask a spirit that question. An elemental will be insulted that you can't tell and an animal…well, they'd probably also be insulted that you think that they looked as aloof as an elemental."

"He's elemental." Cloud muttered. "And a god. The god of water."

Demyx shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. "I don't like that title, makes me sound all…god-like and mean. It's not my fault I happened to be the best water spirit available when the last god stepped down. Everyone else was just so lazy." He sighed then smiled over at Riku. "But yeah, I'm a water elemental. Hence the marsh." Grinning, he waved around to the water-logged forest. "I might have flooded the place a bit when I took refuge. But hey, the forest likes it and it makes great protection against some kinds of things, like bumbling humans I guess!"

Riku's eyes narrowed and Cloud frowned impatiently as Demyx laughed at his own humor. "Demyx," the blond muttered. "Where's Axel?"

Demyx stopped laughing. His fingers drummed against the side of his sitar before he grinned ruefully. "I never was very good at diverting conversations. Truth is, he arrived a few days ago and told me that he was expected Riku if everything went well. He didn't describe your appearance though, so you can't blame me for being a little surprised to see _him_ behind you, Cloud." Riku was confused but Cloud nodded with apparent understanding. "Anyway, I can get him for you if you want."

Cloud nodded curtly and Riku shifted where he stood. He wasn't sure what he should be feeling right now. Finding out that your only friend was actually a spirit was throwing him for a loop; it wasn't exactly something he had had to deal with before. And why had Axel brought him to this world anyway? Did he actually expect Riku to help out with this whole eternal darkness thing? Riku knew he had a lot of potential, but maybe not enough to accomplish something like that.

Despite his internal battle, Demyx had turned back to the house. Instead of walking forward though, he sent a grin to the two of them over his shoulder then strummed his sitar, building up a fast and energetic rhythm before yelling out, "Dance water, Dance!"

Riku took half a step back as the pool nearest to Demyx suddenly swelled up from its surface, twisting about until three pieces broke off and actually flew toward Demyx, tumbling around him and forming almost humanoid shapes. The water god laughed, clearly entertaining himself as he motioned with his sitar for the water to go to the house, which it did with astonishing speed.

The water flew into the front door of the house and not seconds later the air was disrupted by a shout of rage. A very familiar shout followed by a series of recognizable curses, strung together without pause as the sound of crashing echoed out from the house.

"Damn it, Dem! What the hell have I told you about your damn frickin' water spouts. I hate your damn water! I hate it!"

Demyx was still grinning as Axel himself stopped out of the tree and into view, the redhead drenched from head to toe though drying off quickly. A few steps from the door, Axel stopped short in his rampage as his eyes fell on Cloud and Riku. He was silent for a second then smirked, crossing his arms. "Well what do you know? You found your way here after all."

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	5. Chapter 5

Holy…o_0 Dudes, you guys totally rallied last chapter with the reviews. Words fail me. Almost. You guys are awesome though, I mean it. Seriously. And you all said such nice things! I feel totally loved. I just hope my story meets your expectations ^^'. So anyway, I want to thank you all you dudes who reviewed: PirataNoctis, NiffStral, XfallenXshadowX, ramen-is-my-goddess, Mirror and Darkling, A-chan, keitorin.24, Dust to Dusk, Aindel S. Druida, FlurryDivider, kurumaotokoiscarmen, Ivy J., Chronos Mephistopheles, -xX Twilit Memories Xx-, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, 73n5hl, Acherona, zi-ling, CloudedMirror. I think there were more of you who reviewed for earlier chapters too, so, you guys are awesome too! :D

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Chapter 5

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Riku stared at Axel for a second before his initial reaction took over and he stalked forward. He approached Axel with a scowl on his face, pushing Demyx aside and jabbing the redhead in the chest. "What the hell is your problem? Have you been lying to me this entire time?!"

Axel snorted, his acidic green eyes narrowing as he met Riku's gaze aggressively, apparently eager for whatever fight was about to arise. Riku had never seen him look so menacing. Or mature for that matter. It was as if he could finally see how old Axel really looked, he really was more a young adult than teen. How could Riku have missed that for four years? "Of course I lied to you. I've wasted the last four years of my life waiting for the opportune moment. Had to fake every damn smile I sent your way to keep from reaching out and throttling you myself."

Hissing, Riku lifted his chin, the angry flash in his aqua eyes just matching the blaze in Axel's gaze. "So you lie to me for four years, keeping me on your good side, only to drag me out somewhere, kidnap me, and take me into this godforsaken shit hole of a world? I knew you were a freak, Axel, but I never thought I'd have to add 'manipulative bastard' to your list of issues." Riku's cheeks were red with rage at this point, his hands clenching into fists. His blood was boiling so hot; he'd never been angrier.

Axel was supposed to be his friend.

Axel had been his friend!

And all of it…every single moment, had none of it been real? But no, he couldn't be hurt, he had to be angry. Better to be angry than to be hurt. "I bet you even messed with my car, didn't you?! You wanted the car to break down there on purpose, trying to get me out on my own before forcing me into this world!"

Sneering, Axel leaned down so that they were almost nose to nose, his voice lowering to a dangerous growl. "Yeah, I messed with your precious car. I even enjoyed firing that thing's engine. Believe me; I could have taken a much more violent course of actions. It was hard to keep myself from just beating you unconscious and throwing you into this world to be devoured by the Heartless."

Taking a breath, Axel raised his clenched fist right under Riku's face. "Do you have any idea what sort of shit I had to go through, stuck in that damn school? Watching you live like a spoiled brat, surrounded by your little bunch of groveling slaves? Beautiful, rich, perfect little Riku Jenovan." Axel spat out every word. Riku had never seen this expression on the redhead, it was one of true hatred. "It was disgusting. Every snotty little remark that came out of your mouth just made me want to do this-!"

Riku cried out as Axel's fist suddenly erupted with fire. Before it could burn his face he was suddenly shoved away from the flame, his chest heaving as Demyx flung himself between the two of them. The water god pushed them apart, his expression angry. "There will be no fighting here!" His voice held an unquestionable force, far different from his previous cheerful chirps. "If the two of you have unresolved problems, then you will either talk it out or leave my sanctuary right now." His voice faltered somewhat, his eyes falling to the ground. "I have seen too much injury and bloodshed in my lifetime. I won't tolerate any more."

Swallowing, Riku tried to calm his pounding heart as Axel slowly lowered his arms. Anger was the only defense he had. If he didn't keep it, then all that was left…was the pain of betrayal. Looking down at the ground, Riku murmured. "Tell me…has everything been a lie? Did you ever say one thing that was the truth?"

Axel snorted, his own voice lowering to a manageable level now that Demyx was standing unyieldingly between them, though his voice had taken on an almost mocking tone. "Yeah. I said the truth once. I really did need your help with a history project. Not for school though, for here. You're here to fix what your family and kind destroyed."

Seeing Riku's blank stare, Axel let his gaze move over the silver-haired youth's shoulder, green eyes settling on Cloud. "I'm actually surprised you managed to stay alive travelling with Cloud, though I suppose it's for the best. You have a large part to play." He smirked. "After all, you are General Sephiroth's son."

Riku barely had time to react at the sound of a sudden snarl of rage came from behind him. By some instinct, he turned just in time to have Cloud's sword slice through the air right where his chest would have been not a second before. Unable to keep balance, he tumbled to the ground as Cloud twisted around with inhuman speed. The spirits's face was unreadable fury as he struck down again.

This was not the Cloud that had been training him just hours ago. Riku couldn't even keep track of this man's movements. If this was how Cloud truly fought, then Riku realized that he hadn't even been trying when they had trained.

Just as the sword was about to strike its target it was thrown off course by a blast of water to its broadside. The tip drove into the ground instead of Riku's chest but before Cloud was able to pull it out for another attack, a wave of water crashed over the both of them.

"I said no fighting!" Demyx shouted, his blue eyes dark with anger. "No matter who the enemy, or what the grudge, I won't have violence here. If you can't listen to my request then I will hold you underwater until you're unconscious. If that is what it takes, I'll do it, Cloud!"

Cloud growled, the guttural noise more animal than human. Riku now knew why Luxord had said that "demon" was another word for animal spirits. Instead of attacking again though, Cloud snorted and released his grip on his sword, taking a step back. His body was still tense with anger as Demyx moved over to help Riku stand up.

For his part, Riku was completely confused. "What, what the hell's going on?" He turned to Axel. "Tell me."

Axel rolled his eyes. "And here I was hoping Cloud would manage to do a little damage before Dem got to you. It's a shame he tried to train you some on the way here."

"Axel, you should be nicer." Demyx murmured. "It's obvious he has no idea what's going on. At the least his memories must have been erased."

"Fine, you want nice?" Axel sat down on the ground, patting the ground next to him with a sneer. "Come on, Riku. Let's have a chat."

Cautious, but with no better option, Riku moved over to sit next to Axel. He didn't know what to think any more. All he knew was that he was tired, confused, and angry. Once he had sat down, Axel spoke up again. "Alright. So you're probably wondering why everyone seems to automatically hate your guts, right?" Riku only glared at him. Axel frowned and reached out to grab a lock of Riku's silver hair. "It's because of this. And your eyes, and your skin. Trademark characteristics of the Jenovan clan. You're an exact copy of Sephiroth. The General. The Black Traitor. The man who killed the king. The second-in-command of the dark elementals who took the palace and threw this world into darkness."

"What? No. My father is a businessman. He owns companies. He's spent his life building up his career. He's not some evil…thing."

Axel laughed unsympathetically. "You actually believe that? It would have been easy for Sephiroth to gain power in your world once he got there. He was a top-ranking elemental! And a coward. He left right after the takeover, taking you and your brothers with him." Axel paused, eyeing Riku for a second with a smirk. "You might call this here a momentous occasion, being back in your native world. I've spent the last few hundred years looking for a way to get you back. Be happy."

It was all too much for Riku. He had just accepted that he had been thrown into this new world and now they were telling him that his father was a spirit? That he had killed someone? "What are you talking about? If this is about my father then why not just bring him back?"

"He wouldn't be able to help us." Demyx cut into the conversation, crouching down in front of Riku and looking him over with a new sort of curiosity. "If what the stories say is true, then you're the only one who can. You were too young to have taken part in the fight, so you were the only Jenovan who didn't betray his oath of fealty to the royal family. Because of this, you should be still connected to your charge. Axel, whose guardian was he?"

Axel raised his head, locking eyes with Riku. "Sora's. He was Prince Sora's guardian."

Demyx sucked in his breath then grabbed Riku's shoulders, his face brighter than Riku had ever seen it. "Do you know what this means?" Grinning, he turned to Axel. "We can finally find the princes! There's still really a chance that we can fix this! I had no idea he was Sora's! Now I really forgive you for being gone so long." Hopping to his feet, Demyx spun around once. "Wow, this is so wonderful!"

"Yeah, it's great alright. But now that we have him, Dem, we have to get into the palace."

Demyx froze, his face falling. "The palace?"

"The young princes never got out of the palace that night." Axel glanced over at Cloud's form, the wolf having long since moved off, away from the fire, to stand in the shadows by the water's edge. "Only Cloud and Aerith. And me. Everyone else died or was trapped when the gates closed. So we need to head to the palace."

Demyx bit his lip then clenched his fist resolutely. "Then I'm coming with you."

Axel looked up at him with surprise. "You are?"

The water god nodded. "I've, I've been in hiding way too long. All of us have. Besides, the two of us haven't gotten the chance to catch up yet. You've been gone over a hundred years now; I'm not letting you go off somewhere so soon again." He smile widened a bit. "Besides, someone's got to keep you from killing each other."

"Okay. You go pack then. I need to talk to Cloud about how we're getting to the palace."

Noting that he hadn't been given a job, in fact it seemed as though he had been purposefully ignored, Riku followed Demyx inside the house as the water god bounced off. It seemed to be the safest course of action at this point. Tentatively stepping passed the stone doorway, Riku was surprised to see a rather cozy looking interior carved from the tree. The ceiling was rather low, and the size of the room was of course restricted to the width of the tree. But there was a small stove tucked into the far side that was warming the space, the stovepipe piercing through the exterior wall of the tree. It was the main feature of what looked to be a kitchen area complete with a small table with two chairs. Another small area with two small couches was lit by strategically placed candles, illuminating carved shelves full of knickknacks and the occasional book. Decorative bowls of colorful water were also scattered about, some of them bubbling between series of pots to create an almost musical effect, obviously functioning by magic since there seemed to be no such things as electric water pumps in this world. A spiral staircase off to the side finished off the lower floor, undoubtedly leading up to higher stories with more rooms.

Seeing that Riku had followed him in, Demyx shrugged almost apologetically. "Sorry it's a little cramped in here, and dirty. Can't really make a tree house that big, you know? And as for the mess, well, I can pretend that Axel brought that in when he popped up a few days ago." He hummed then ran over to a pantry by the stove that, like the shelves in the sitting area, seemed to have been carved from the tree itself. "Now, what to bring to eat? I'm not sure if I've got enough to feed four people."

Perching on the armrests on one of the couches, Riku spoke up. "Cloud was pretty good at hunting for us while we were coming here."

Demyx paused then smiled, beginning to pack a small sack with what Riku guessed was food. "I guess he would be. I'll just bring basics like herbs and some dried food then, just in case. Do you like salted fish? I'll put it in anyway, Axel will eat it at least. Probably."

Riku allowed Demyx to ramble on for a few minutes before cutting in to the one-side conversation. "Demyx."

"Hm?"

"What did you mean, back when you were talking with Axel, about him having been gone for hundreds of years? Has he really been gone that long?"

"Yeah, he has been gone for that long. But I think," Demyx frowned, tilting his head to the side in thought. "If I remember right, there's a big difference between time in this world and time in the human world. Even though it's been over a hundred years since I've seen him, he only spent, what, four years in your world? That time difference stuff has been causing our scholars headaches for ages; it just has to do with how our worlds were linked. Or something like that. I never really paid attention during school."

"You went to school?"

Demyx blinked, pulling his head out of the pantry again to nod lightly. "Well, yeah. Before the king was overthrown, there were towns all over the place. We had schools, universities, traveling fairs, libraries; everything you needed. Now the palace is the only place that has those kinds of things anymore, since everyone's either gone into hiding or has died from this eternal night and the Heartless." The water god stuffed one more item into his sack then tied it shut, throwing it over his shoulder after tying what looked to be a small flask of some sort onto his belt. Then he turned to Riku, a bright smile on his face. "That's why I'm glad that you're here. You're going to be a big help to us, we might end up with a little more light in the world to fix the imbalance if we can find the princes."

"How do you know they haven't died already? You know, when the palace was attacked. Didn't Axel say that a lot of people died?"

With a soft frown, Demyx shook his head. "They're not dead. They can't be. Besides," he walked over to Riku and gently touched his chest over his heart. "You would have felt it, if Prince Sora had died. You're still connected to him. Like Axel said, neither you nor Sora ever renounced your duty as his guardian." Demyx smiled then pat Riku's shoulder. "Everything will turn out okay, I'm sure of it. Now, let's get to that palace!"

Riku nodded, somewhat hesitantly, watching as Demyx put out the candles and stove with water from the decorative pools on the shelves and tables before he followed the water god back outside. Axel and Cloud were ready for them when they came out, both apparently having nothing to pack. When he caught sight of Axel after he had picked up his sitar, Demyx perked up, asking, "So, have you and Cloud decided the best plan of attack?"

"We're taking the main road to the palace." Axel said, shrugging. "If they haven't noticed us yet, then they won't pay attention to a few wandering spirits. The tricky part is what will happen once we actually reach the place. That's where the guards will be. But that's something to worry about once we get there."

Partially blocked behind Demyx, Riku watched as Axel took the leading role. How strange. He never knew Axel was this sure of himself. Well, Axel had always been cocky, even when he was pretending to be Riku's friend, but he had never behaved so confident. Punk Axel was gone. This was a new persona, one Riku wasn't quite sure of. Somehow he had been knocked down to supporting role, though, and he wasn't happy about that. But he would have to go along with it until he understood more about everything that was going on.

The trip started out slow as they picked their way though Demyx's marshes again. As they were walking, Demyx explained that he _could_ move things around to make an easier path, but that he didn't water to bother any of the settled plant life. Axel and Riku had complained but Demyx had stood firm on his decision.

When they left the marshes though, Riku was struck by the dramatic change in environment. It had seemed to blend so much smoother coming in, but now, having spent a while in the lush greenery of the marsh, the change between that and the return to bare branches was all too clear. The division was somewhat more obvious by the nearly literal wall of Heartless swarming at the boundary line, waiting for them to leave the god-sanctioned territory.

Spotting the Heartless first, Cloud had swung his great sword into a ready position, adjusting his hold on the grip. Axel caught Cloud's movements then grinned. "It's about some time we see some real action. I think I'll really enjoy this!"

Cloud snorted, narrowed eyes falling onto Axel's excited grin. "Should I leave them to you then?"

"Thanks, Cloud. This is exactly what I need." Axel threw out his arms to his sides and stretched out his fingers. Almost immediately, two spiked wheels appeared in a burst of fire, one in each hand. Grinning as he heard Riku let out a noise of surprise, Axel turned to him, spinning his weapons with learned ease. "They're called chakrams, in case you're wondering. Now, watch and learn how the big boys play, Jenovan. You won't forget this!"

Despite his desire not to, Riku couldn't help but obey and watch as Axel rushed forward toward the writhing wall of Heartless. He couldn't see Axel's face, but he imagined that the redhead was grinning maniacally as he crashed into the Heartless. The flaming chakrams cut through the creatures nearly as fast as Cloud's sword. Suddenly Axel threw one down the line of Heartless, cutting through over a dozen of them before calling it back with a clench of his outstretched fingers. It was truly a sight to behold. Everything Axel or his chakrams touched was immediately scorched; he was like a one man army, dancing between the groups of Heartless with deadly precision.

In less than five minutes, all of the Heartless were gone. Cloud was the first to shake himself from the hold of the sight, if his attention had ever actually been captured in the first place. Striding forward, he stepped over the boundary line between Demyx's last stretches of green and the cold bareness of the battleground. He took a look around then nodded to Axel. Barely even panting, Axel grinned then shrugged, his chakrams disappearing with a shake of his hands and another burst of fire. "I know. I'm a little out of shape. But what can I say? I spent four years surrounded by teenage humans. It's a little hard to practice."

Cloud merely rolled his eyes as Riku and Demyx walked over to him, Demyx shaking his head as he uncorked the flask tied to his belt, lifting his hand from it to reveal an orb of water in his hand. "Did you have to burn the trees, too? What did they ever do to you?"

"They're dead anyway. Besides, there were Heartless on them." Axel watched as Demyx put out the few small fires that were still burning in the branches or smoldering in small patches on the ground then glanced over at Cloud. "I'll let you get the next batch, okay?"

"I find no joy in it. You might as well have them for yourself."

"If you say so."

The next few days passed without much commotion. They walked, Axel and Cloud killed the Heartless, they set up camp, then they walked again. It was like traveling with Cloud all over again, but this time there were two extra party members. Riku found though, that Demyx was still the only one who bothered to talk to him. Cloud hadn't said a word to him since he had found out he was Sephiroth's son and Axel actually seemed to be enjoying not having to talk to him. Riku considered that a bit of a hit below the belt. On the bright side though, there had been no impromptu training lessons anymore, so his aches were finally starting to fade away. He was certainly happy about that.

On the third day of walking though, still picking their way though the forest, Riku was surprised to see a hint of a clearing ahead of them. Turning to Demyx, he asked, "Hey, are we almost through the forest?"

Demyx smiled weakly. "Yeah. Unfortunately."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see when we get out…"

Curious, but knowing it would take too much effort to try to pry any answers out of the suddenly depressed water god, Riku sped up his pace instead, hurrying to catch up and pass Axel. Through the trees, Riku could see flashes of open space and also…some sort of building? Maybe an entire series of buildings. A village perhaps? It was hard to tell what it was in the dark, even though his eyes had somewhat adjusted, but he thought he could see a few corners and solid walls. Axel grunted with surprise as Riku ran ahead of him, but didn't bother to stop him as the silver-haired youth broke through the final line of trees. Riku breathed in the cool night air, his run stalling to a standstill at the sight before him.

It wasn't a village.

It was a ghost town.

The buildings, almost entirely collected along one main street, had clearly been abandoned some time ago. Their tiled roofs had fallen down due to rotting wooden beams, the collapse leaving gaping holes in the slanted roofs. The windows; it looked as if they were made of glass, glinting in the darkness, they were all broken. Even the walls looked dull and rotting away where they stood. It was as if the soul of the village had been ripped away, leaving only empty shells and a hollow absence in its wake.

Riku let out a breath as he felt someone come to stand beside him. "What happened?"

"Everyone left." That was Axel's voice. Riku glanced over to see that it really was Axel who was beside him right now. The redhead's eyes were on the empty houses and building, his expression one of resignation. "When the sun failed to rise the morning after the palace was attacked, most of the people left. The rest tried to hold out, but in the end they either were killed by Heartless or forced to escape. Every town in this world is like this now; this one is only a small example. It probably held only a few hundred spirits."

"There were about four hundred of us living here when we got news that the king had died." Demyx's voice was low as he came up behind them. Riku turned to see the water god nervously clutching onto his sitar. "We were all so happy, because I had just become the water god. We were planning for a big celebration." He smiled sickly, turning to Riku. "Actually, we were all planning on holding out when the sun failed to rise that morning. We thought it was only something temporary, like, the king was sick or something. But then a few days later the Heartless showed up. They drove us out then wrecked what was left behind."

Riku frowned. He couldn't imagine that those little Heartless, numerous as they were, would have been able to wipe out an entire population with spirit powers. "They drove you out?"

Apparently understanding the question, Axel spoke up. "The Heartless you see scurrying around now, the Shadow Heartless, are nothing like the ones that were around those first few days of the takeover. Those things were deadly, and sometimes even taller than houses. Some of them even had spirit powers of their own, both elemental and animal. At the palace, even the best warriors were killed fighting them. Of course, they were also dealing with the dark element spirits themselves, the ones who had usurped the throne, which made it even harder to come out alive. Eh, Cloud, what's the matter?"

Riku turned to see that Cloud was sniffing the air lightly, the blond's eyebrows drawn together. "There are Heartless here. In the houses." He sniffed again. "Bigger ones. Neoshadows."

Axel snorted. "So, they're getting bigger as we get closer to the palace. Whatever. We can still take them easily." He called his chakrams into his hands again and looked over to Cloud with a smirk. "What are you waiting for, them to come to you or something? Or is the little wolf scared of bigger shadows?"

Cloud scowled, then in the blink of an eye he was gone. Glancing around quickly, Riku finally spotted him halfway down the main street, sword at the ready as he kicked down the door to the nearest house.

"Knew that'd get him," Axel chuckled. With a tilt of his head to Demyx he said, "You stay here with Jenovan. Once we get a secure house we can call you in. And this isn't because I think you can't fight, Dem. It's because we've come too far to let that brat die on us when we're so close."

Demyx nodded. "I understand. Good luck."

"Luck? Who needs luck when you've got skill?"

Riku snorted in time with Demyx as they watched Axel bound off to the nearest house, looking all too happy with the thought of getting into a fight. As soon as the redhead had opened the door though, he jumped back. Just in time to avoid a Heartless taking a slicing swipe at his chest. Riku's eyes widened as Axel lured the thing out of the dilapidated building. It really was bigger than the little things he had seen so far. This Heartless was nearly as tall as a human, making the smaller version look like some toy in comparison. And it was faster than its smaller counterpart.

Riku watched as two more of the things ran out of the house toward Axel. "Can Axel handle those things?"

"Oh yeah, almost as well as Cloud!"

Further down the street, several Heartless came flying out of the house Cloud had busted into, crashing into the houses on the other side of the street before disappearing into puffs of black smoke. Apparently Cloud could handle them rather well.

Suddenly Riku stiffened as something cold flashed behind him. It was the only sign of warning he got but he whipped around to see one of the Neoshadows not a foot behind him and Demyx, its humanoid arm poised for an attack. Somehow it had snuck up on them! "Shit! Look out!"

Demyx spun around, yelping as the thing swung out. He quickly reached for his water flask, both of them jumping back as the Heartless loped forward, the thing somehow managing to look both unbalanced yet menacing at the same time. "Water!"

A blast of water instantly sliced the thing in half, but as it disappeared, two more popped out from the ground below it. Feeling another flash of cold once again at his back, Riku turned to see three more coming up behind them. Axel seemed so far away now, and was visibly occupied with their own battles, and Riku couldn't even see Cloud. It looked as if the Newshadows inside the other houses had gotten scent of fresh blood, and were coming out to aid their fellow shadows.

"Don't worry, Riku, I've got this!" Demyx drew more water from his flask with a wave of his hand before his fingers went down to the strings of his sitar. "If they want to play, then they're going to have to keep to the beat. Dance, water, dance!"

Demyx's water clones whipped up around him, twisting around Riku once before flying off to the attacking Newshadows, cutting them apart on contact. But more of them were coming, smaller Heartless spilling out of the forest to join in on the fight. It was as if the more they fought, the more Heartless came, like some sick twist of logic.

Soon Riku and Demyx were surrounded by Heartless. Panting, Demyx straightened up, tisking as he called his clones for another round of attacks. "I only brought so much water! I can't make any more clones to fight off this many." He strummed his sitar again and the clones rushed toward them, then started to circle around them, blocking them from the Heartless with a curtain of water. "I think its time we got some help!"

"_Burn, baby!"_

Riku threw his arms in front of his face in defense as the air itself was suddenly engulfed in fire. The water shield dissolved in a cloud of hissing steam just as Demyx pulled Riku to the ground, not a second before the air they were just occupying was engulfed in flames.

Then, it was all over; there was nothing but silence. Tentatively lowering his arms, Riku was shocked to see Axel leaning over him with a smirk. "I don't think I've ever seen you so scared." The smirk widened to a grin as Riku quickly sat up. "That right there just made my day." His green gaze then turned to Demyx. "I thought you would have been able to handle that."

"I could have." Demyx was almost whining, "But I only had this much water!" He held up his small flask, wiggling it in front of Axel's face, "I can barely stretch that out to make three clones. And then you went and steamed all of my water! What am I going to do now?"

"Find a puddle and refill the thing?" Axel shrugged, "There has to at least be a well in this town somewhere, right?"

As Demyx continued to whine, Riku suddenly found a chunk of wood dropped into his lap, probably from a broken door. Looking up, he saw Cloud standing over him. Riku raised a silver eyebrow. "What? I'm not really in the mood for playing fetch."

Cloud visibly twitched as Axel froze-midsentence, the redhead bursting out laughing a second later. "Shit, Jenovan!" He snickered. "That was the best thing I've heard in like, years. I'll be sure to put it on your tombstone after he kills you."

Closing his eyes, Cloud took a breath, probably to soothe his temper, and then glared down at Riku. "Pick it up. We're training."

"What?"

"You're still useless. Pick it up. Defend yourself."

"Damn it, Cloud. Not this again." Grabbing his makeshift weapon as Cloud took a few seconds to walk over to the nearest building and snap a piece of wood off for himself, Riku hauled himself to his feet. In the blink of an eye though, the wolf spirit disappeared from his sight. Cursing to himself, Riku twisted around only to be thrown down from behind, Cloud's piece of wood digging into his back.

"No good. Try again."

Hissing, Riku rolled over and kicked out but Cloud was already gone. This time though, Riku tried hard to focus. His eyes widened as he heard a footfall to his right but before he could turn completely, he was knocked to the ground again. Cloud frowned. "Better. But still not good. We're going to do this until you get this right."

Two hours later, Cloud finally called for a break, though only because Riku could no longer pick himself off the ground fast enough for his liking. Axel and Demyx had been no help at all. They had gone off to light a fire and start dinner while Cloud had been busy taking his post-battle adrenaline out on Riku's inability to block. At this point though, Riku was pretty sure it was impossible to block against Cloud; that man was not traceable. Nor was he sane for that matter.

Dropping with a muffled groan next to Axel against the side of one of the crumbling buildings, Riku only had the strength to glare as Axel chuckled. "Looks like you had a good practice. I think you might be improving."

"Bastard…"

"No, really. Hey, by the time we reach the palace, you might be able to block a hit. Wouldn't that be something?"

Growling, Riku flipped him the finger then closed his eyes. He could either argue or sleep right now, and at the moment, sleep sounded much more appealing.

After staying for a few hours in Demyx's old town for a rest, their small group set off again. Riku could barely walk, but at the complete lack of sympathy, found himself limping beside Demyx and nursing his bruises. The fact that it was always nighttime was really starting to bother them. In his mind, they should at least have stayed eight hours in that town to rest up, but no, since there was not morning or night, it made no difference when they started walking again in terms of advantage. It could be three in the morning for all Riku knew and he wouldn't have been able to do a thing about it.

That first encounter with Neoshadows was unfortunately not the last. As they pushed ever closer to the palace, the breeds of Heartless became more varied, and more dangerous. It still was nothing Axel, Cloud, and Demyx couldn't handle, but still. Riku had never been more thankful that he had landed in this world where he had; if he had fallen in anywhere close to the palace, he probably would have had a lot more trouble staying alive.

Cloud continued to train him. Unlike their first few sessions though, Cloud had become more vicious. Every night was as tough as the one in the town, Cloud never let him take a break. Riku suspected, no, knew, that it was because it had been confirmed that he was Sephiroth's son. But really, he preferred it when Cloud had just been ignoring his existence.

After one particularly nasty training session, Riku had demanded that Axel tell him what Cloud's issue was. Axel frowned but sat down next to Riku who was trying to staunch the blood flowing from a cut on his arm from when Cloud had gotten too close with his piece of wood. That sucker had hurt like hell. In fact it was still stinging. But at least the fire was bright enough so that he had been able to pick out all of the splinters; it was protected from the usually irritating gusts by the hill they had camped against. It was proving to be an excellent wind guard, even if Cloud didn't like camping out in the low grounds. Fire and light was much more important than defensibility at this point.

"Cloud's got a good reason to hate anyone Jenovan, especially Sephiroth. He was there when the General killed the king." Axel nodded over to Cloud, who was sitting across their campfire trying to ignore Demyx's attempts at conversation. "That sword was King Zack's. When Sephiroth killed him, he took up his stepfather's sword and went after the General himself. Obviously he didn't kill him. I think it still pisses him off that both Sephiroth and Kadaj managed to escape."

Riku started at the sound of his brother's name, his aquamarine eyes flashing over to Axel, unable to keep the venom from his voice. "What does _Kadaj_ have to do with this?"

Axel looked him over for a second then snorted. "All the Jenovans were assigned to be guardians for the royal family. Kadaj was assigned to Cloud. The only reason you were assigned to Prince Sora was because everyone else had been giving a job by the time the prince was born."

"Who got the second prince then? There was a second one, right?"

Axel's face darkened. "There was a second prince, Prince Roxas. But there were no more Jenovans left, so the job was given to my older brother, Reno." Pulling his long legs up to his chest, Axel wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on his knees. "Reno died in the raid. Killed by one of the dark element spirits. Still haven't figured out who did it." Axel was quiet for a moment before he started talking again, his voice low. "When he died, the job of guardian by law automatically went down to me. I never got the chance to give him my oath of fealty though, so the exchange was never made official. That's why I can't sense Roxas's presence." Turning to Riku, Axel locked gazes with him, as if daring him to look away. "That's why we need you. Because you can find Prince Sora. And if we can find the princes, we can bring back some light into the world, and we can fight to restore order to the throne."

Riku frowned then wrapped his arms around himself, looking away from Axel's intense gaze to the fire in front of them. This was all too much to take in. It was still…surreal to think that his family had anything to do with any of this. But, hearing Kadaj's name along with his fathers, it made it seem all the more real. "How," Riku swallowed then asked, "How much longer until we reach the palace?"

"It's just over the next hill. Why else did you think that we camped down here and not up on the ridge? We'll be there in a few hours."

Riku glanced over at Axel then tottered up onto his feet. His limbs protested after the training Cloud had put them through, but he ignored them and stumbled up the hill their camp was backed against. Perched on the ridge, he saw the striking sight of the black outline of a castle against the dark night sky. It was far away, but pinpricks of light shown out from windows, helping to give shape to the black mass. Riku frowned, his hands clenching into fists.

This had all just become all too real.

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	6. Chapter 6

Hey, I got a lot of reviews again! Woot! You dudes are awesome. It seems like I'm always saying that but hey, it's so true. ^^ And yeah, some of you mentioned that Axel was being a bit of a jerk. I say he deserves the time to vent. He's been through a lot so far. But he's slowly getting over his issues, cause he's awesome like that. Hm. So yeah, not much else to say this time. Thanks much to: Twilight-Oblivion, XenoKosMos, ramen-is-my-goddess, Aindel S. Druida, A-chan, kurumaotokoiscarmen, -xX Twilit Memories Xx-, CloudedMirror, Sanya Kielo, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, My Lyf, Dust to Dusk, Mirror and Darkling, deludedfreak, keitorin.24, Chaotic Darkness, 73n5Hl, Ivy J., merrakesh, Silver Butterfly07, XfallenXshadowX, Randomasdf, FlurryDivider.

Thanks! Your reviews are what keep me writing! :D

O

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Chapter 6

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The palace was much larger than it had first seemed from far away. Not a few yards away from it, crouching behind some bushes, the details came into better focus through the darkness. The palace was surrounded by massive walls extraordinarily tall. A large, imposing gatehouse was carved into it, just as dark as the walls themselves. The portcullis was down, the dark, rusting lattice bars dug deep into the ground. Behind it, double wooden doors were firmly sealed together, their intricate decoration obscured by the night sky. By the look of things though, the main entrance to the palace hadn't been opened in a long while. It was almost as if it was trying to hold off against a siege with no enemy.

Crouching between Demyx and Axel, Riku whispered. "Why are the gates closed?"

"They've been closed since the dark elements overthrew the royal family." Axel whispered quietly back. His apparent hatred for Riku seemed to be slowly settling back to indifference. To Riku it was like being forced to make friends all over again; except this time he actually had to work at it. "It's not so much that they want to keep people out, it's that they want to keep everybody inside in."

From Riku's other side, Demyx shifted a little. "I think we can get in though. I can sense a stream flowing under the castle walls. There's probably a way to get in that way without being detected-"

"Shh. The guards are coming around again. Everyone stay down."

Riku tensed at Axel's whispered command. Just able to peer through the nearly non-existent foliage of the brush they were hiding behind, Riku was able to see something silvery staggering along the top of the wall. The thing's movements were jerky and stretched; even from so far away, Riku could tell it wasn't human. They waited for a tense five minutes before the creature disappeared around the corner again. So far it had circled the top of the castle walls with almost clockwork precision. Undoubtedly it would be on the front wall again in another twenty minutes or so.

"What is that thing?" Riku asked.

"The palace guards. They're called Dusks. Just think of them for now as stronger, smarter Heartless that only obey the dark elemental in charge."

"And who would that be?"

"I'm not sure. I escaped before the darks could organize everything after their rebellion. Who knows which one finally fought to the top spot. But anyways, we should take our chance while we have it. Demyx, what direction is the waterway in?"

Demyx closed his eyes then placed his hand against the ground. Concentrating hard for a moment, he then blinked and smiled over at Axel. "It curves around the east. Lucky for us, it's telling me that it's pretty clean, so we won't have to worry about walking through sewage or anything."

"Always a plus. Cloud, is the coast completely clear?"

On Axel's other side, Cloud lifted his head a little, glowing eyes scanning the palace critically before he nodded critically. "Now is as good as we'll get."

"Right. Let's go. Come on."

Taking the lead, Axel scrambled out of the bushes, running toward the castle. Cloud, Demyx, and Riku followed after him. Personally, Riku was just amazed at how quietly the others were moving; it was as if he was running with ghosts. They dashed across the empty field in front of the palace, just a few feet from the wall when there was a sudden flash of black out of the corner of Riku's eye and Demyx stopped with a sharp gasp as if he had been hit by something.

Tripping to a halt, Axel spun around, red eyebrows drawn together worriedly, his whisper both concerned and agitated. "Dem, what's wrong? We're kinda in a hurry here."

Demyx frowned, shaking his head as he whispered back. "I don't think I can." He raised his hands, pushing them forward only to have a black disc flash in front of them, blowing them back. "Ow! It's a magic barrier!"

"But we could all get through."

"It must be spelled to keep gods out." Demyx tentatively stepped to the side and tested another part of the invisible shield. Again, as soon as his fingers got to close, a black disc flashed and zapped his fingertips. "Ah! Sorry, Axel! You'll have to go ahead without me. The waterway isn't far though. Just keep to the wall, you'll find it fast enough. It told me that it was rather large."

Biting his lip, Axel stepped forward. "Dem, I don't want to leave you here alone. What if the Heartless attack?"

"I can handle them. Besides, if it's just me, the probably won't be so attracted. From what I've seen, they usually keep away from gods." Demyx smiled then winked playfully. "I'll be fine. Now, get going."

"Axel!" Cloud growled quietly. "A guard's coming this way."

"Shit." Axel turned to Demyx. "Quick. Back to the bushes! Riku, Cloud, get against the wall!"

Riku did as he was told, running the last few steps to press up against the wall, Cloud and Axel next to him as Demyx hurried back toward the bushes. The three of them could only hold their breath as Demyx ran. If the guard really was coming, then the water god would be caught out in the open. Riku looked down to his side as he heard a dull thud, letting out a small breath when he saw that Axel's clenched hand had hit the stone wall, the red-head's other hand pressed tightly over his mouth to keep from making a sound. Axel was scared for Demyx.

Riku nearly gasped as Cloud's arm suddenly shot out across his chest to grab Axel's arm, the wolf spirit pressing them both close to the wall. Twisting his head, Riku could see that Cloud's chin was lifted, his eyes on the wall towering over them. Tentatively, Riku did the same, heart skipping a beat when he saw a white, dagger-like arm stretching over the wall far above followed by a strange sort of head; it looked like the Dusk was taking a good look around. Had it seen Demyx? Was it going to look down?

Riku heard the distinctive clank of Cloud adjusting his grip on his sword. He tried to smother even the sound of his breathing and heartbeat as the silvery-white thing swiveled its sinuous head around just as Demyx disappeared behind the bushes.

Multiple tense minutes passed.

Then, the thing slowly withdrew his head back over the wall, continuing on with his rounds. Riku let out a sigh of relief at the same time as Axel; none of them had been seen. Cloud though, was still tense, and sniffed the air once before dropping his arm. "This way," he murmured quietly, "I can smell the water."

Pressed against the wall, the three of them slunk along. Along the way, Cloud motioned for a stop only once more as the guard passed over again. To Riku, it seemed as if years had passed pressed up against that cold stone wall until his ears caught the faint sound of water trickling. A moment later, he peered over Cloud's shoulder to see a dark semi-circle hole in the wall ahead of them and a large stream flowing into it.

Silently, Cloud jumped down into the water, barely making a splash. He showed no change of emotion at the undoubtedly uncomfortable wetness that came all the way up to his stomach as he leaned down and inspected where the river was flowing into. After a moment, he glanced back up at Axel and Riku. "There is a metal grate, but it ends before the bottom of the stream. If we go under, we should be able to come up on the other side."

With a grimace, Axel nodded. "Thought you might say that. Well, we've got no choice. Everyone into the water."

Riku scowled but slipped into the water, hissing when he found it to be freezing. How could Cloud be so emotionless?! Especially because Riku was slightly taller than the wolf spirit! If he was squirming at having the water reach his waist, he couldn't imagine how cold Cloud was. A muffled yelp and curse from behind left him know that Axel was just as happy about the situation as he was. But if there was no other way, then there was no other way.

"D-damn. G-Gonna ki-kill Dem for suggesting this." Teeth chattering from the cold wet soaking into his pants, Axel sloshed forward passed Riku. Cloud snorted but stood to the side as well, allowing the other spirit to inspect the grate closer. After a second, Axel cursed. "Shit. Well, I guess there's nothing for it, we're going to have to go underneath it. I'll go first. Get it over with."

With another few minutes to ready himself, Axel then dove down into the stream, feet kicking as he twisted down under the latticed grate. A second later after a bit of maneuvering he popped out on the other side, bent nearly over in half now that he was underneath the wall. Red spikes dripping down his face and neck, looking very disgruntled and soggy. Spitting out water, he nodded up at them through the metal bars. "Its freezing, but it looks as if the waterway tunnel cuts fully through the wall. We should be able to get inside fine. Oh, and careful with coming under that thing. The ends of the bars are sharp."

Riku glanced over at Cloud but, seeing that the blond had no intention of going first, he scowled then moved over to the grate himself. The water was so cold; this was not going to be fun. He looked back at Could again then over to Axel before he growled and dove under the water. It really was freezing! Fumbling for the bottom of the bars, Riku wrapped his hands around them, careful to be wary of them when he kicked forward and under them. There really wasn't much room between the bottom of the stream and the points of the bars, but he just barely slipped underneath unharmed, popping up on the other side to take a quiet gulp of air.

As soon as he hit the surface of the water Axel had grabbed the back of his shirt and heaved him up. From the other side of the grating, Cloud waited for the both of them to settle down before he passed them his sword underneath the grate then followed after the weapon. Faster than the other two, he popped up then grabbed his sword back from Axel.

Soaked and shivering in the cold air, Riku could only follow Axel as the redhead picked his way down the tunnel. It was cramped, the ceiling of the tunnel so low that it was actually painful being bent forward moving at the pace they were.

After five minutes of walking, Axel slowed to a stop. Riku was about to question him when he saw that there was a glow of light up ahead, from above. Carefully, Axel crept forward until his face was bathed with light. He paused for a moment then reached up, his fingers curling around something. There was a scrape of metal against stone then Axel tentatively raised himself out of the tunnel.

Riku wasn't sure if he should follow or not but, feeling Cloud push him forward, he sloshed through the waist-deep water to the light source. After being in the dark for so long, ever since he had come to this world, the light was almost blinding. But being able to stand up straight was more appealing than sight and so he lifted himself up and out of the water tunnel.

Stumbling up into the light, Riku quickly looked around the new area, momentarily caught up in the new sensations. It was like having lived in a black in white world and finally having been thrown into color. He was in a courtyard of sorts, but the open space was filled with plant life. Flowers and trees flooded the place with brilliant colors and smells. Even the floor was covered with bright mosaics set in geometric and floral patterns. He didn't even know where the light was coming from. There were torches on the wall, but he couldn't imagine that they were lighting everything. But then again, this was a world of magic. He stood there, dripping wet, taking everything in when a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

He whipped around. It was Axel. Riku let out a breath of relief and followed after the red-head as Axel led him to a hidden corner of the courtyard. A second later Cloud leapt out of the drain, the wolf spirit shaking himself off in a very canine fashion before he immediately pinpointed Axel and Riku's location and hurried over to them.

With all three of them together, Axel leaned forward. "Alright," he whispered. "So far, so good. Unfortunately, we're all fairly recognizable, and none of us can be seen without ruining everything. We need a safe place to hide until we can get our bearings."

"Axel."

At Cloud's cautionary murmur, Axel went silent. A second later a woman came into view from behind a large cluster of rose bushes. She was dressed in a simple black and white floor-length dress, an apron tied around her middle as she carried a basket of what looked to be clothes through the courtyard. A few seconds after she disappeared, Cloud shifted and nodded to Axel.

"Who was that?" Riku asked quietly.

Axel frowned. "Just a servant. Their uniforms haven't changed at least. Eh? Cloud, do you have an idea?"

"I know someone who will help us." At Axel's curious gaze, Cloud grunted. "Squall."

"Cloud…Squall was really close to the royal family. The chances that he was unharmed during the power shift is slim to none. He wouldn't have exactly taken it passively you know. He would have fought back. The dark elementals could have made him a prime example." Riku felt out of the loop again. By the pained conviction from Axel and the intensely defiant look Cloud was sending back, he knew that he was missing something big.

Feeling like a little kid whose parents were talking about something he didn't understand right in front of him, Riku crossed his arms and spoke up. "If Cloud thinks he knows someone who can help, let's find him. I'm cold, wet, and I don't think either one of you really knows what to do right now."

Axel stared at him for a moment then let out a low breath and scratched the back of his head. "Feh. Fine. Cloud, lead the way. If Squall's even alive, we need to find him fast before we get found by the Dusks."

Cloud nodded curtly then closed his eyes and sniffed the air. His blond eyebrows furrowed as he lifted his chin, sniffing the air once more before his eyes flickered open again to reveal more distress than Riku could ever remember seeing.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked, putting his hands on his hips. "Can't you smell him?"

"Smell's different." Suddenly Cloud's eyes narrowed and he took off on a run.

"Hey!" Axel called out to him but Cloud paid him no heed. Tisking, Axel took off after the wayward wolf, Riku close on the red-head's heels. They tore through palace hallways at reckless speeds. Their footsteps clattered against the stone floor as they ran; every once in a while Riku would see flashes of people through open doors or windows. Even he knew this was risky, and he didn't even know what would happen if they were caught, just that it would be bad. He couldn't imagine how hard Axel's heart was pounding right now.

They must have been hurdling through the servant quarters. The halls had become smaller and less extravagant, the stone cut rougher as Cloud led them up a spiral staircase. By the time they reached the top, Riku was panting heavily, he could even hear that Axel's breathing had become more labored as Cloud pressed on like something possessed.

With an extra burst of speed, Axel rushed forward and grabbed for the back of Cloud's fluttering, black, half skirt. Just managing to snag it, he held on tight, forcing the smaller man to a stop. By the time Riku caught up, Axel was trying to catch his breath, his expression a mixture of anger and exhaustion. "Cloud…what…the hell? Dozens of people could have just seen us. Dusks could already be on our trail!"

"They're not. No one saw." Growling low, Cloud ripped his half skirt out of Axel's hand only to have Axel grab his arm. "Let go."

"No. We're not risking a stunt like that again. You might be fast, but you've got to remember that not everyone's so stealthy. Cloud, are you even listening to me?" The wolf spirit's attention was diverted again, his glowing green eyes locked on the hallway ahead of them. Suddenly the noise of footsteps could be heard from down the hall. Paling, Axel looked around wildly for a hiding place and, spotting an open doorway, grabbed both Riku and Cloud and dragged them into it.

The room was dark. Even so, Riku could tell that it was a supply room of sorts, full of towels, brooms, buckets, and other cleaning supplies. Taking a look at everything, Riku turned back to the hall only when he felt Axel tense beside him. A second later a man walked by. It had been just a flash, but Riku had seen that he was tall with brown hair falling to his shoulder blades drifting behind him.

Riku was just relieved that the man hadn't spotted them, so was confused when Cloud let out a low whine. "Why didn't he smell me?"

Axel suddenly lunged to grab hold of Cloud. Cloud though was too quick and bolted out of their hiding place. "Shit!"

"_Squall!"_

Rushing out of the room, Riku and Axel watched as the man stopped then turned. Riku withheld a noise of surprise when he saw the man's face. From the side he hadn't been able to see it but there was a large scar crossing the man's face, deep and contrasting to his lightly tanned skin. His steel grey eyes though were emotionless.

Standing across from him, Cloud scowled. "Squall! What happened to you?"

"You aren't a member of the palace staff." The voice was low, the growl rolling up the back of the man's throat. There were no tone changes though, nothing to indicate any show of emotion. "I'll need to inform the guards."

"What did the dark elementals do to you?"

Behind him, Riku spotted a ring on Squall's arm as the man shifted slightly. "Dark elementals couldn't have done anything to him. He's wearing a Chaos ring like me."

Axel's gaze sharpened, flying down to the man's hand. Suddenly, he stiffened. "That's not a Chaos ring. It's a Master's Ring that's been synthesized with a Dark spell. He can't think for himself. For him that must be crueler than being killed."

Squall's eyes narrowed. "Don't bother to run. The guards will find you as soon as I notify them."

The man just turned away when Cloud dropped his sword and leapt forward. As fast as Cloud was though, Squall whipped around and grabbed the wolf's arm, slamming him back against the stone wall. Riku stepped forward but Axel grabbed his arm to hold him back, shaking his head seriously.

Riku looked back to Cloud as the blond kicked out at Squall. Snarling, Cloud's eyes flashed as Squall took the blow with only a wince and the wolf spirit kicked out again, this time catching the other man in the stomach and sending him flying to the other side of the hallway. Squall growled, shaking his head before he shot his hand out, aiming for Cloud's throat. Cloud blocked the blow with his arm, blood spattering down both of their clothes as four deep gashes appeared on the blond's arm. The man had claws.

"What the hell is he?"

Axel didn't even bother to look over to Riku to answer. "Lion."

Riku's eyes flashed back over to the fight. The man did look like a lion, bigger and broader than lean Cloud. As Cloud dodged another of the other man's strikes, it was clear that he was faster, but Squall looked more powerful. Dodging another one of Squall's clawing strikes, Cloud went low and kicked out at the man's ankles, sending him to the ground. Then he tackled the lion spirit, straddling his body as he pinned his hands above him. Chest heaving, Cloud called out to them in a cracked voice. "Get the ring off!"

Axel moved forward but before he reached the pair, Squall had wrenched one hand free and grabbed onto Cloud's pale throat which the wolf had left momentarily unprotected. Cloud actually yelped as Squall threw him to the ground, switching their positions in the blink of an eye.

Cloud's eyes closed as he clawed at Squall's arm, scratching deep wounds but doing nothing for his release. Blood was beginning to run down his neck and pool on the floor as Squall dug his claws into the other's skin.

"Shit." Axel threw his hands out, calling his chakrams to him, about to strike the lion spirit down when Cloud gave one final desperate kick, catching Squall in the stomach and sending him flying to crash against the far wall, knocking him momentarily senseless.

As Squall's grip ripped away from his throat, Cloud coughed and rolled onto his knees, covering his throat with one hand before he lurched toward Squall who was still clearing his head from the hit to the wall. Grabbing Squall's hand before he knew what was happening, Cloud grabbed the ring and tore it off of the man's finger.

Cloud's head dropped to rest against the other's shoulder as Squall's eyes slowly cleared, his breaths panting and shaky. Clenching his eyes shut, Squall raised a hand to clutch at his forehead, appearing almost dizzy before his nose twitched slightly.

Then his eyes flashed open.

His forward lurch caused Cloud to topple back but with lightening-fast reflexes Squall caught him before he could hit the ground. His eyes, which were now a stormy blue grey instead of a chilling metallic, flashed down to the other's bleeding throat.

"Cloud." His voice cracked from emotion bridging on panic. "Prince Cloud!"

Cloud opened his eyes, a hint of a smile touching his lips. "I've told you before, call me Prince and I'll have to hurt you. But at least I know you could still put up a good fight, Squall."

"Don't call me that." The lion spirit frowned, his face turning hard. "I don't deserve…" his voice trailed off and he growled. "Squall died the night of the raid. My name is Leon now." Before Cloud could argue, Leon shook his head, "It was my own personal punishment. The scar might have come from Xemnas, but the name change is my own."

"Xemnas?"

It had been Axel who had spoke up, breaking the intimate moment between the two animal spirits. Leon glanced over to the Axel and then to Riku, stormy eyes narrowing. "Axel." When the red-head nodded, Leon's eyes settled on Riku. "Who is he?"

Riku felt mildly intimidated under the lion's gaze, but having grown up with Sephiroth for a father and having spent too much time with Cloud, he had been rather desensitized to glares. So he stepped forward, speaking for himself before Axel could step in. "I'm Riku Jenovan."

"We've come back for the princes." Axel added. "Jenovan's the key to finding them."

Leon's intense gaze moved back to Cloud. Then he grabbed the wolf's wrist. "You'll need a place to hide then, if you're here without the Superior's knowledge. I know an empty room in the servant's quarters you can stay in for now. We need to get there quickly. Undoubtedly someone has smelled the scent of blood and is coming to investigate as we speak. Hopefully they won't be able to identify it as Cloud's. Now, hurry. Pick up your sword, Cloud, so that we can go."

Leon led them back down the spiral staircase but then turned a corner they hadn't come down, leading them deeper into the servant's wing. He walked at a quick pace, his shoulders strong and sure. He really did radiate the calm, raw power of a lion.

Riku couldn't help but notice though that he didn't let go of Cloud's wrist once. And Cloud really didn't seem to mind. It was almost amusing seeing the wolf still so stoic while being led by the hand; Riku didn't think it was physically possible. After they had passed by a few servants, Axel spoke up. "Hey, _Leon_, do you think you could avoid running into every single person? We're kind of trying to keep a low profile if you haven't noticed."

Leon sent a glare back to him then snorted. "No one will care so long as you're with me."

"And who made you so high and mighty?"

"Xemnas killed the former head of the palace staff. I was given the job after he had secured my loyalty with that ring. Although I had no will, I could still see everyone's interactions. The staff have long understood that I am nothing more than a puppet for the Superior's orders." Leon paused, his face dark, and then smirked dryly. "Besides, if you are truly here to free the princes and return them to the throne, than what servant would try to stop you? Hundreds of years of imprisonment will be enough to seal anyone's lips, I am sure." Turning down into one final dark hallway, Leon motioned to one of the doors. "That room there is unoccupied. It is large enough to fit the three of you."

Curious, Riku walked over to the door. It was thick and heavy enough to require some effort to open but the inside was far from impressive. The room was more like a cell built out of stone blocks. There was one window, but it was open to the night sky; a depressingly familiar sight. There were two bunk beds, the mattresses thin with skimpy blankets thrown over them as if attempting to give the impression of warmth. The only other decoration was an unlit torch hanging on the wall. Besides that though, it was empty.

Stepping out of the room, Riku gave Leon a blank stare. "You're joking, right? We're in a damn palace, I expect something better. That's practically uninhabitable."

"Stop being a spoiled brat." Axel rolled his eyes then walked over to look into the room over Riku's shoulders. Seeing it though, he blinked then turned back to Leon. "Actually…for once, I'm going to agree with him. It does look a little less…comfortable than usual."

Leon's shoulder's fell somewhat, his gaze falling away from them. "The servants…have not been well treated. We are locked in here, and yet the court demands new goods to flaunt, so the staff has been forced to give everything they own."

Riku had not known Leon for even an hour, but even he could see the shame in the man's eyes. Obviously Leon was proud; but being the official head of staff, and seeing the state of destitution that they had fallen into. It must have been a strong blow. Perhaps sensing the near tangible guilt, Axel smirked easily. "Hey, it's fine. If we've been able to sleep out in the middle of fields, we'll think this place is like the royal suite itself. A mattress is a mattress, and I for one, am grateful that we have any kind of place to hide out for a while."

Leon let out a rumbling sigh then nodded. "I will look about for extra blankets. Before that though, I will locate a bandage for you, Cloud."

Cloud glared, apparently not taking well to the attention. "I'm fine."

"You might be, but I don't want to look at it. You're getting a bandage."

Axel swung a lanky arm over Cloud's shoulder before the blond could protest. "You go ahead and do that. No one wants to see this guy get blood everywhere anyway. I would however, also like to request perhaps a bit of food and some information about what's been happening here. In no particular order of course, just whenever you find the time."

"You can have both, but you might have to wait for the information until tomorrow morning so I can pull my own thoughts together. I'll be gone for a while, so feel free to rest until I return."

Cloud frowned, his eyebrows drawing together as he took a step toward Leon. The lion scowled, sending him a pointed look. "You, lay down. The first thing I'm doing is to find some clean water and a bandage if the infirmary can spare it." When he saw Cloud's expression darken, Leon sighed. "As soon as I've finished my duties, I'll come back and we can talk. But until then," Leon pushed Cloud back onto the bottom bunk, "Stay."

Cloud snarled but remained lying down. Smirking, Leon walked out of the room, the sound of the door slamming closed echoing through the now-quiet room. With a sigh, Axel walked over to the torch on the wall. He snapped his fingers to create a spark then gently blew it onto the torch. The room was instantly lit by a soft glow. Smiling, Axel rubbed his hands together then turned to his two roommates. "Well, we're here. Awesome. Step one complete."

Riku walked over to the window. They must have been just over the height of the walls because he had a clear view of the low hills stretching out around the palace grounds. "What about Demyx?" he asked quietly.

Frowning, Axel crossed his arms then sighed. "I think…I think that Dem will be okay. No, I know he'll be okay. He was right saying that the Heartless will target him less. They've never been known to attack a god on their own before. And Dem's resourceful. If he needs to he can find ways to survive." Axel let out a wry laugh. "Besides, at the moment, I think he's in a better place than we are. There's only little Heartless out there. Inside the palace, we've got to worry about things like Dusks and worse. But there's nothing to do about it now. Let's just try to get some rest like the so-called Leon suggested." He smiled brightly then turned to Riku. "But before you go to sleep, your little mention of your Chaos Ring reminded me. Give it here."

"What?"

"Your Chaos Ring. Give it here. It's time to take it off and work with your magic."

Riku shifted, his fingers automatically moving to touch the cool ring on his finger. "What are you even talking about?"

"You told me that Luxord gave you that ring, right?" Riku nodded hesitantly. "The thing you don't know about Luxord is that he's cool, but he's really not that inherently kindhearted. It's true that the ring did protect you against the Heartless a bit, but it also sealed off your own Dark magic. We're going to need your magic in order for you to find Sora. Hold on, this might be a bit of a wild ride for you."

With that said, he grabbed Riku's hand and, like Cloud had done not minutes before to Leon, pulled the ring off.

Riku gasped. It felt as though a wave of cold crashed over him. He wrapped his arms around himself and fell back onto the bottom bunk, trying to catch his breath as he felt his throat freeze over.

"- he okay?"

Shuddering, Riku opened his eyes to see Axel looking down at him curiously, Cloud sitting up on his own bunk bed in the background. His eyes widened when he realized that his own body was surrounded by a dark aura, gaze flashing up to Axel worriedly. Smiling almost comfortingly, Axel nodded to him. "He's okay. Don't worry, Riku. Your magic's just been building up for a while now under that ring. Sleep it off and it should die down in a few hours. After that we'll start to teach you how to control it."

Riku felt himself tremble. It felt as if ripples of energy were moving through him. It wasn't painful, it was just…so cold. Was this how all dark elementals felt? He would have to trust that Axel was right; he didn't want to feel like this all the time. He forced himself to lie down on the ratty mattress and close his eyes. He was tired after all; it had been a long day. Letting out a long sigh, Riku tried to settle his mind, trying to ignore the energy rippling through him. He would have to rest.

_He was dreaming. He knew it instantly. It was really bright though, brighter than even the interior of the palace. He could distinguish floors and walls, but it was an empty room. _

"_Riku…?"_

_Riku blinked as he heard the voice from behind. It was a warm voice, soft and pleasant to listen to._

"_It is you, isn't it, Riku?" A soft laugh. "You're so grown up, it's weird."_

_Riku looked down as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind, enveloping him in a hug. It wasn't startling; on the contrary, he had somehow felt it coming. He felt himself smile as a head rested against his back. The voice was quieter this time, sadder, which sent a pang of sympathy through Riku. "I don't know where I am. Please, find me soon. I want to make sure my brothers are okay, and we need to set things right. So find me, okay? I know you can do it. Find me."_

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	7. Chapter 7

Alright, dudes. I apologize for being a little late. As my profile explained, I've been going through midterm week. T-T It's hurt my brain, too much memorization. But lucky for you, my guilt complex prompted a nifty bonus bit at the beginning of this chapter. So enjoy. ^^ And an extra thanks to: Twilight-Oblivion, Chaotic Darkness, 73n5Hl, Mirror and Darkling, Ivy J., XenoKosMos, -xX Twilit Memories Xx-, ramen-is-my-goddess, NiffStral, XfallenXshadowX, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, Aindel S. Druida, Dust to Dusk, A-chan, deludedfreak, The Pregnant Chad, Randomasdf, zi-ling, Kujari, kurumaotokoiscarmen, redamiB6147! Reviews kept me alive during studying. I love you all. ;)

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Chapter 7

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_Cloud clutched hi__s mother's trembling hand as he tore down the halls of the palace, desperately looking for a way out that wasn't swarmed with murderous creatures. The rusty smell of blood had long since flooded his nose, he couldn't smell anything else. And the noise of screams of servants and soldiers alike was still ringing in his ears; the surprise attack had been disastrous for all of them. There had been no warning, no mercy. The hand that wasn't holding his mother's tightly gripped Zack's sword. He still couldn't believe…his step-father…the king, was dead._

"_Cloud!"_

_His mother's cry drew him out of his thoughts just fast enough to slice through one of those silver-white creatures as it leapt at them. Those things followed the dark elemental's orders. And they were lethal. As the thing disappeared into a cloud of dust, Cloud ran through it. He needed to get to the gate. He had to get his mother out. It was bad enough that he hadn't been able to find his younger half-brothers; they hadn't been in their rooms when he had run to them moments before. He couldn't lose sight of her too._

_Adjusting his grip on the hilt of Zack's broadsword, Cloud reached the main courtyard only to find the creatures hanging off of every tree and wall; the ground was literally writhing with black, living shadows. Cloud's brow furrowed and he hoisted the sword into a defensive position as he nudged his mother to the side so that she was completely behind him. She was strong, but it was common fact that Aerith Fair was no fighter._

_But he himself wasn't yet used to the feel of the sword Zack had bequeathed him. It was heavy, heavier still perhaps because of the fact that his step-father had given it to him with his last breath. He wasn't sure if he could handle this many enemies. "Mother, if something happens to me, run as fast as you can toward the gate."_

_He didn't leave her time to protest as he launched himself into the courtyard. He cut through one creature after another but was quickly finding himself overwhelmed by their sheer strength in numbers. No matter how many he cut through, more continued to appear. Both the small black ones and the larger, faster, silver-white things; he was barely even carving a dent into the courtyard._

_And he could feel himself tiring fast. Still, he readied himself as three more of the creatures threw themselves at him._

_He managed to slice through the first two, but the third managed to claw at his leg before he cut it in two. The depth of the wound caused his leg's strength to give out and he fell to the ground, Aerith catching him before he could collapse completely. One hand flew down to the injury as his mother moved to heal it. The other hand tightened around the sword's hilt in preparation to defend himself and his mother to his last breath as a wall of the dark creatures welled up in front of them. _

_Suddenly the sound of a gunshot ripped through the air, slicing through the creature nearest to Cloud, followed by a shout from a familiar voice. "Prince Cloud! Your Highness!"_

_Cloud's expression betrayed his relief. "Squall!"_

"_Hold on!" From the other side of the wall of creatures, Cloud heard Squall shout his battle cry, "It's over!"_

_With three wide-arcing slices, Squall cut his way through the black and silver horde to carve a path to Cloud and Aerith. He looked as beaten up as Cloud, the lion's chest heaving from exhaustion as he still found the strength to grab Cloud's arm and pull him to his feet. His eyes were wide, brown hair dark and sticking on his sweat and dirt-soaked face. "Hurry! We need to get out of here."_

_As they ran out of the infested courtyard and into a deserted hallway, Aerith called out to the lion spirit, her voice strained from worry and weariness. "Squall! Please, my sons, have you seen my boys?"_

_Squall briefly took the time to turn and send her a pained frown. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I haven't."_

_Aerith reached out and grabbed the man's sleeve, pulling them to a halt. "Then we have to go back! They could be in danger!"_

_Cloud bit his tongue to keep from stating how true that statement might be. Sora's Guardian was a dark element. Though still young, Riku Jenovan was Sephiroth's son, and if the General had had the gall to strike down the king, Riku could have easily been part of the plot. The thought of his half-brothers being injured by those creatures was killing him too, but there wasn't much they could do. He glanced over to Squall as the lion spoke again. "We can't go back. It would be suicide. The best we can hope is that Prince Roxas's Guardian was with the both of them."_

_Aerith shook her head, covering her face with her hands as she let out a muffled sob of disbelief. Smelling the stench of pure darkness coming their way, Cloud jerked his head to face Squall only to see that the lion also had tensed. The creatures were coming after them. Swallowing, Cloud put an arm around his grieving mother's shoulders, gently forcing her forward. He would let her cry properly once she was safe._

_Pushing her along, Cloud led the way through the rest of the palace, keeping their urgent pace as Squall guarded them from behind, forced to pause every few minutes to rebuff a new wave of those creatures. Every so often they would pass by a fallen soldier or a group of fleeing or terrified servants, the number of people increasing as they neared the palace gates; the entire palace staff was fleeing toward the exit, desperate to escape the carnage before the wave of dark creatures reached them. _

_Suddenly, just as they had burst out into the courtyard where the front gate was located, the grinding noise of the portcullis falling down caught Cloud's sensitive ears. They were being locked in. Urging his mother into a run, he glanced back to see that Squall was locked in battle with a swarm of Heartless that had broken into the courtyard. "Squall!"_

_Squall shook his head, knowing that with his advanced hearing Cloud would hear him over the din of the other servants and palace staff. "Go!"_

_Clenching his hand around his sword, Cloud looked from Squall to the falling gate then over to his mother. He needed to save her, and who knows what they would face outside of the palace; she would need further protection._

"_Cloud, just go!" Squall slashed through another black creature. "I'll be fine!"_

_Shaking his head, Cloud nonetheless grasped for his mother's hand then turned and ran for the gate. His heart was cracking in his chest, but he knew that above all else, he needed to keep his mother safe. She was the queen. Since Zack had died, the throne was officially hers. He had to keep her alive._

_Seeing that the gate was about to crash to the ground, Cloud growled and grabbed his mother up in his arms then dashed forward with an extra burst of speed. He felt the wind against his back as the gate plowed into the ground not an inch behind him, his mother flying out of his arms as he tumbled to the ground, momentarily blacking out._

_The next thing he knew, his mother was shaking his shoulder, her green eyes bright with tears of agony and fear. "Oh, Cloud. Thank goodness, I thought I had lost you too for a moment!"_

_Cloud shook his head to clear it, eyes immediately flashing up to the gate, his gaze flying past its metal bars to the scene inside. There were people on the other side, tugging at the bars in futile attempts to escape, but there was no sign of Squall. One of the servants on the inside saw them, his sharp blue eyes behind a veil of violet hair strangely resigned compared to the others around him. "Run, Your Majesties! These bars won't hold the Heartless."_

_Cloud took the advice, having no doubt in the truth in the other's words. Besides, it would be pointless torture if they remained to watch the others trapped inside fall to the creatures, the so-called Heartless. With a set expression, he grabbed his mother's wrist and ran with all the strength he had left in him. _

Riku woke to find that Cloud's bunk was empty, the sheets tangled into a mess at the foot of the bed. Running a hand down his face, he slowly sat up. That had been the worst night he had ever had in a bed. His sheets were soaked with sweat from how much he had tossed and turned trying to sleep. The he amount of energy ripping through his body had been nearly intolerable. But at least he was no longer glowing black.

As he swung his feet out of bed and onto the cold stone floor, the top bunk above his squeaked and a second later, Axel jumped down, the red-head appearing annoyingly chipper. "Well I have to say, that was the worst night I've ever had, what with both you leaking dark energy and Cloud thrashing about."

"Something wrong with Cloud?"

"Just memories, I'm sure. They're a tough burden sometimes, Jenovan. I'm sure you bleeding your darkness everywhere wouldn't exactly help anyone trying to smother their recollections." Axel's tone and expression suddenly brightened. "But enough of that. The lion's babysitting the wolf and we've got a job to do."

Riku was about to ask what he was talking about when he suddenly remembered the dream he had had. His hands began to tremble as he thought of those arms wrapping around him, the sudden, desperate _need _to find the owner of those arms and voice tearing through him. It was almost painful. He had never cared about anything so much in his entire life, it was as if his body itself was burning with his mind's demand to get up and frantically start searching for this missing person. He was a Jenovan, this desperation was unheard of! Gritting his teeth, he dug his fingers into his silver hair. "Damn it! What's happening to me?"

Standing by his shoulder, Riku could hear rather than see Axel smirk. "Your magic let loose and it's linking up with Sora's. Like I said, you never absolved your oath as Guardian. The Guardian and charge are bonded by more than just title, there's ancient magic in all that. Riku raised his head to glare at Axel as the red-head's smirk grew. "Welcome to your first day back on job. It's been a while."

Just as Riku was about to retort with a few choice words of his own, a bang rang out from the wooden door on the other side of the room. Axel's smirk dropped to a serious frown as he straightened up. He waited a moment then slowly approached the door, every move cautious. "Yeah, who is it?"

"It's me."

The serious expression left as quickly as it had come and Axel opened the door to reveal Leon carrying a tray of food, his arms also draped with fabric of some sort. Stepping aside to allow the lion spirit inside, Axel grabbed for a plate of food. "We seriously need to come up with some sort of secret knock or something. My smell's not as good as yours and Cloud's, you know? I can't just sniff through a door. By the way, seen Cloud around?"

"He's in my room." Leon's response cut off all suggestion for continuation of the subject as he walked over to Riku's bunk. He set the tray down beside the teen then grabbed what he had draped over his arm, throwing a bundle of fabric to both Axel and Riku.

Catching his, Riku unraveled it to reveal what looked to be an ugly black and white outfit. "What the hell is this?"

"Servant's outfit. For the men anyway. You'll be too noticeable in what you're wearing now."

Riku looked down at his torn and dirty clothes, what used to be premium designer jeans, shirt, and jacket. Would it be better to stay in them, despite their distressing condition, or to allow himself to wear such a horrible, not to mention servile, outfit? It was a tough choice.

"Put it on Jenovan. We're gonna have to dye your hair too, so don't get bratty yet."

Riku's gaze shot up to Axel, thoroughly scandalized. "You're not dying my hair. I completely refuse."

Axel frowned, crossing his arms. "Jenovan…"

"No. I'm not letting you touch it."

Standing in the sidelines, Leon pinched the bridge of his nose then let out a ragged sigh. "Both of you, shut up." When he grudgingly received the silence he had demanded, he continued. "Axel, I don't even want to know why you're bothering to make it an argument. You," he looked pointedly over to Riku. "Get over here. You're getting black hair."

Riku grimaced but, realizing that his hair was going to be ruined one way or the other, decided he might as well go with the person who would make it less of a disaster and dragged his feet over to Leon. The lion pulled a bottle out of his jacket pocket, uncorking it as he walked behind Riku. "Don't move unless you want black shoulders along with the hair."

Sulking, Riku knew well enough to hold still, though it was hard. In the quiet, his mind kept reverting to focus on the need to find the missing presence; it took all of his willpower to continually stop himself from shifting impatiently. To distract his disturbingly one-track thoughts, his aquamarine eyes flashed over to the servant's outfit lying on his bed. A frown crossed his features, the expression deepening as he felt the cold dye hit his scalp. "So if you're a servant," he asked Leon. "Why aren't you wearing the uniform?"

"I'm the head of the staff. I can wear what I want. And you'd better lose the attitude if you know what's good for you."

Riku huffed but remained silent, watching out of the corner of his eyes as Axel began to change. The guy sure was skinny. Looking away when the red-head began to strip down completely, Riku instead focused on Leon's words as he started to speak again. "There are a few things you need to know before I allow you to leave. The state of the power right now is that Xemnas is in charge. He calls himself 'the Superior' or 'steward' if he's feeling particularly charitable, as if he's pretending to be innocent as to knowing what happened to the royal family. He holds all of the power though. The high-ranked members of the palace staff are completely loyal to him, including the new generals of the army."

"There are still soldiers here?"

Leon sighed at Axel's question, his hands busy spreading the black dye through Riku's hair. "Unfortunately. There were some who survived the raid. The Heartless actually killed only a few people, most of those who had been injured managed to be saved by the palace doctor. Some of the regular servant's were also switched over to be trained for military. I've no idea why he bothers to keep even such a small number, but the Superior must consider himself more secure that way. In any case, keep away from the barracks and of course don't go near the throne room or the royal quarters. If you keep to the service areas, there is a better chance you will remain safe." After another second he patted Riku's shoulder. "There. Hair's done. Keep from touching it while the color sets. Now, get changed."

Riku just barely kept himself from visibly seething as a strand of his now black hair fell into his face. The dye better not be permanent. Now that the worst was over, there was nothing much more he could do than follow Axel's example and get changed himself. The servant uniform was, as expected, made of rather cheap material that was itchy to the touch. Riku couldn't remember the last time he had worn something of such low quality.

Faster than he would have liked, he found Axel pushing him out into the hallway, despite the fact that he wasn't fit to be seen in public right now. The red-head looked all too comfortable in the servant's uniform, or at least he was showing no signs of discomfort as Leon followed them out of the room, turning his smirk to the lion sprit. "So I hope you're going to take good care of Cloud while we're away."

Leon frowned and then snorted quietly. "Shouldn't be too hard. He's asleep right now anyway."

"Oh? Letting him use your bed? That's pretty generous of you. And here I thought I remembered you being Mr. Territorial who didn't even let people inside his room. Go figure."

"Don't you have a job to do?" The growl was laced with a deeper snarl from the back of Leon's throat, clearly revealing his growing irritation.

Axel waved his hand, "Yeah, yeah, we're getting to it. Come on, Jenovan, let's start looking."

Slinging an arm over Riku's shoulders, exactly in the same way as he used to when they were still friends, Axel led him away from Leon and out into the more lively halls of the palace. Well, lively relative to the empty dormitory areas. Every so often a servant would hurry through, always looking flustered or busy, never even pausing to give them a second glance. As they left the rough-hewn stone corridors of the strictly-servant areas to the more public realms though, Riku found that the stonework was becoming smoother and more detailed, the quality of the stone also changing from normal gray rock to white marble. Personally, he would have preferred to stay in this section of the palace.

Riku was somehow expecting that he would just magically be drawn to wherever this prince was. But it wasn't like that. He felt the feeling of the missing void, the loss of the other's presence, but he couldn't sense anything that would tell him in what direction to look. After a few minutes of walking and fruitless half-hearted attempts to focus, Riku glanced up at Axel. "How is this supposed to work anyway? How am I supposed to find him?"

"Don't know. I'm not a Guardian yet, I don't know how it works. I know," Axel paused, continuing his long-legged pace as he crossed his arms thoughtfully, "when Reno talked about it, he gave the impression that there was some sort of mentally tangible connection. Like Guardian and charge are connected by an invisible string or something. In any case, you're going to have to track him down. After all, it's not like we can just go around asking where the princes are hidden. That'd be a sure-fire way straight to an execution. Why do you ask anyway? Having problems?"

Riku huffed, running his fingers through his newly black hair to get it out of his face. "Only because I've never exactly done this before." He dodged a servant as it came scurrying down the hall then pointed at Axel accusingly. "If you explained things better, I wouldn't be confused."

Riku felt a slight triumph when Axel frowned at this. Crossing his arms victoriously, he graciously allowed another servant to pass by, watching with some curiosity as the older man bustled toward a pair of large, white double doors along the side of the hall. When he opened the door to go inside though, it felt as if an electric charge rippled through the hall like a gust of wind.

Riku gasped at the feeling of it hitting his chest, reaching up to grasp at the spot over his heart. Axel's frown deepened and he leaned over. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I don't know." Riku shook his head, "When the door opened, there was this…wave of energy. Didn't you feel it?"

Axel grabbed his arm. "No, but that might be the sign we've been looking for. Let's check the room out."

Still massaging the strange feeling out of his chest, Riku followed Axel to the slightly-ajar door. Cautiously, they peered inside. From what Riku could see, it looked to be a large room with high vaulted ceilings. The color palette was still strikingly white, though this time hints of light blue were scattered throughout, giving a sterile, icy impression. There were beds lining the walls, a few of them occupied.

Suddenly the door disappeared from their grasp, swinging open to reveal a tall man with long blond hair dressed in a long black cloak. Axel let out a strangled noise of surprise at the sight. The man's chilly blue eyes showed irritation as he looked down at them. "You two? What do you think you're doing, loitering about? Haven't you tasks to do?"

Axel laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head as he tried to look somewhat sheepish, burying whatever shock he had just gone through. "Sorry, sir. Just taking a quick break."

"Break?" The man's voice was cold and clipped. "Why, are you sick or injured?"

"Uh…no?"

"Then why are you bothering me? This is an infirmary, I don't have time for lazy servants. Get out."

Thinking quickly, Riku stepped forward. "We came to get new bandages for our roommate. He was the one Leon came to you for a few hours ago."

The cloaked doctor paused, his thin lips pursing from the memory before he nodded stiffly. "Ah, yes, I remember now. Some fool cut himself, right? Very well, the bandages are in the back cupboards. Take a roll and leave. And don't try to steal any extra, a full inventory is taken every twelve hours."

As the man stalked away, into a smaller side room, Axel showed a rude gesture to his back then stomped to the back of the infirmary where a floor-to-ceiling cupboard system was located. "Hate that guy."

Riku blinked with surprise, looking over his shoulder to make sure the blond man was well out of sight before asking curiously. "What, you know him?"

"I know everyone here, it's not like the population has changed much since I was last here. Don't worry about him recognizing me though, icy bastard wouldn't spare servants the time to actually look at them. I'm sure he's going to regret that later once everyone realizes what we're up to." Settling down a bit, Axel opened the first cupboard in front of him, scowling when he found it stocked of glass vials filled with various materials and multi-colored liquids. "Look at all of these potions. He couldn't just give one to help out a hurt servant."

Leaning back against the cabinets as Axel shuffled through them, Riku tilted his head to the side. "Who is he?"

"Vexen. Ice element. Always known he was a puppet for the dark elements. Don't know why they let him become the palace doctor though. I swear that sprit's ice has gone straight to his heart, he'd probably just as quickly experiment on a patient as he would treat them. Ah, found the bandages. Are you feeling anything?"

Riku shook his head, his eyes scanning the sparsely-populated infirmary. The pulse of electricity had vanished. The pressure on his body and mind had lessened somewhat, the desperate searching need slightly soothed, but it was still eating away at him. "Not really. We might be closer, but that's all I can tell." His eyes widened as he caught sight of a flash of light silver pass by the open infirmary doors. "Dusks are outside the room."

"What?" Axel straightened up. His green acidic eyes flew to the door as he stuffed the roll of bandages into a pocket. "Damn. If they really are creeping around we're going to have to make ourselves scarce."

"Why?"

"Elementals might not be able to sense your darkness because it's all over the place, but Dusks are sure to sniff you out. And if they catch you, and thereby me as well, we're both going to be in a little bit of trouble." Slinking over to the double doors without trying to look blatantly suspicious, Axel peeked into the hall. Pulling his head back a moment later, he frowned. "The Dusks are patrolling the hallway we just came down so we're going to have to go to the right. Unfortunately we'll be heading closer to where the higher-ups hang out, but that can't be helped. I'll lead the way. You just focus on searching for the prince."

Riku nodded, his heart quickening in his chest as they slipped back out into the hall. Axel was right, two Dusks were down on the far end, their jerking sinuous movements carrying them farther away as Axel rushed off in the opposite direction. Looking over his shoulder again after taking a few steps, Riku found that one of the Dusks had turned around, its featureless face directed toward them. "Axel, it's looking at us."

"Well don't look back. Just ignore it."

"That's your plan? Ignore it and hope it goes away?" More subtly this time, Riku glanced back again, now both of them had turned around. One of them bobbed its head to the side then started walking forward. "I'm pretty sure they're following us now."

"Tell me something I don't know." Axel reached back and grabbed Riku's wrist, his voice tense. "Just follow me, okay?"

"Why? What are you pla-!" Riku's words flew back down his throat as Axel suddenly broke off into a sprint, dragging him behind. Trying to keep up with the other's long striding run, Riku let out a shout when a Dusk suddenly appeared in the wall ahead of them, stepping out of the stone just like the Heartless could rise up out of shadows.

Axel growled, his leg flying out as they ran by to kick the creature back into the wall. The attack barely even broke his stride as he then continued to run, apparently not caring or not having the time to care whether the kick had actually done any damage. They ran through the halls at breakneck speed, rushing passed doors and side halls leading to courtyards and floor-length windows opening into gardens. Riku would have liked to take his time looking it all over if they weren't being chased, when he couldn't feel the chill of the Dusks breathing down his neck. When they were dashing passed one garden, he swore that he even saw a pink-haired man tending to a rose bush. Strange place. Axel though, seemed entirely focused on escaping the relentless Dusks. Skidding around a hallway corner, he swore. "Damn it! We've got to get rid of them! We need a place to hide!"

Spotting another pair of double doors ahead of them, though smaller than the ones which led to the infirmary, Riku asked. "How about there?"

"It'll have to do!"

Not even bothering to slow down, Axel crashed into the new room, dragging Riku with him only to immediately fly into a trolley cart that had been parked right inside the room, toppling over it and hitting the ground. The contents of the trolley exploded over the both of them and immediately Riku was hit with the sensation of the smell of…food?

His gaze lifted from the ruined meals to find that they had crashed into what looked to be the kitchen. And the giant that was storming toward them with a large knife amid the shocked stares of servants was probably the head chef judging by his murderous glare. Riku picked himself up, attempting to brush off what looked to be a salad from his shirt. Sitting on the floor, Axel removed a bowl from his head only to put it back on when he saw who was coming. Rolling his eyes, Riku kicked his side but couldn't do anything more than that as the man reached them.

"You two!" His voice was just as booming as his stature suggested, his square face set into an expression of rage as he waved the knife threateningly. "What do you think you're doing?!" Leaning down, he grabbed Axel by the front of the shirt and with his free hand, lifted the red-head onto his feet as if he weighed nothing. "Explain yourselves-" His suddenly cut himself up, his blue eyes narrowing when they settled on Axel's visible face. Setting the red-head onto his feet, he slapped the bowl off of the other's head. When he spoke again, his voice was significantly quieter, though still a gravelly rumble. "Axel."

Axel chuckled nervously, a real nervous chuckle, Riku realized. "Hey, Lexaeus. I've got a slight problem."

Just as he spoke, the Dusks that had been chasing them phased through the kitchen doors. Riku took a half-step back as they slunk into the room but Lexaeus immediately scowled and strode forward, blocking them from Axel and Riku as he raised his knife. "Those two are with me. And I've told you I don't want to see you vermin in my kitchen. Now get out before I chop you in half."

The Dusks bobbed their heads for a second, looking around the man's massive shoulders to where Axel and Riku were then finally, after Lexaeus had took a warning step forward, backed off. Axel sighed relief as they sunk back out through the doors. Even with his height, he still looked dwarfed to Lexaeus's huge size as he clapped his hands together. "Thanks, Lex."

Lexaeus merely grunted, his sharp blue eyes passing over their shoulders to his small force of servants. "Get back to work! Nothing to see here while we still need to cook a new meal!"

With the din that usually accompanied a kitchen filling the room again, Lexaeus crossed his arms, knife still in hand, staring down at the two of them. Seeing that he was apparently waiting for an explanation, Axel shrugged casually. "It's been a while, right?"

"Axel…I don't even want to begin to try to understand why you came back…"

Frowning, Axel stepped closer, lowering his voice to a conspiritory whisper. "We're here for the princes."

Lexaeus started with surprise then frowned. "Idiot. Anyone who told the Superior you were here for that purpose would be greatly rewarded. Don't trust anyone with that truth."

"I'm going to have to tell someone, because this searching on our own thing is proving harder than I anticipated." Riku's lips turned down at this not-so-subtle slight on his abilities but he allowed Axel to continue. "At least, we need to get a better idea of what even happened to them. If they're even together still. I want to start planning ahead, you know?"

Appearing thoughtful for a moment, Lexaeus's gaze rose to his busy kitchen. After a moment he let out a deep sigh then crossed his arms. "I'm too busy to take the time to talk, but you could do me a favor and take some food to Zexion in the library."

"The name doesn't ring a bell."

"You can trust him. Probably. He became the Superior's main scholar after the takeover. You there," he bellowed out over their heads to one of his servants, nearly deafening Riku with the volume of his voice, "Put together a plate of food!"

The spirit nodded and in record time there was a covered dish delivered into Lexaeus's hands. Pushing the plate into Axel's hands, Lexaeus rumbled. "Now leave. I was already behind schedule before you ran over the trolley. I can't spare any more time."

Without a word of protest, Axel obeyed and exited the room, Riku close on his heels. After a precautionary scan of the hallway, which was now empty of Dusks probably thanks to Lexaeus's threats, he started walking back the way they had came. If the halls didn't all look the same with their white stonework, Riku swore he would have already had the layout of this area memorized after having run through it once. Catching up with Axel, he titled his head to the side. "So we're really going to see this Zexion guy?"

"Seems like a good idea. Besides, I have his food. And unless you miraculously began to point the way with any accuracy, it's looking like we're going to need help."

"Just because he wasn't in the infirmary doesn't mean I wasn't right. I know what I felt." Riku rested his hand on his chest. "You're not really helping me, so I can only guess what I'm actually supposed to be sensing." He paused in his rant for a moment as a current of energy ran through him again. "We're getting closer to the infirmary, aren't we?"

"Yeah. We're just backtracking our steps. Why?"

"I'm beginning to feel something again."

Axel snorted. "Well since the princes weren't hiding in the cupboards, I don't think they're in the infirmary. There was the back room, but I've been in there before; there's hardly enough room for one person and a desk."

"Maybe they were behind the wall?"

"Jenovan, magic might exist here, but that doesn't mean that we can go through walls. We're spirits, not magicians with cheap parlor tricks."

With a shrug, Riku glanced up at Axel. "For all I knew, it could be a possibility. Nothing makes sense in this place."

"You'll get used to it." Axel slowed to a stop in front of a tall, white door. "Well, here's the library. Let's see what this guy has to say."

He pushed the door open and Riku was immediately hit with the scent of old books. It reminded him vaguely of the study his father kept at home, or even the school library. As they stepped inside, he found that it far more impressive than either of the two. As in the infirmary, the ceiling was vaulted several stories high, but this time, they appeared to be held up by great bookshelves, every shelf filled with books of every size and shape. Rows of shelves also stretched through the center of the room, filling the space like ranks of static soldiers. The only light came from a chandelier of candles which was mounted high up in the apex of the vaulted ceiling; Riku had no idea how someone would go about lighting it. The glow from those many candles barely reached the lower shelves though, and from his eye-level everything seemed to be rather shadowy.

Beside him, Axel put one hand on his hip, the other balancing the covered plate of foot with all the skill of a waiter as he called out, "Yo, anybody here?"

"Keep your voice to a civil level, please."

Startled as the voice came from right beside them, Riku twisted around to see that a man had appeared right beside Axel, a dusty tome tucked under his arm. Like Vexen, he was wearing a long black cloak, but he was significantly smaller and younger looking. With light almost purple hair hanging in front of his face, Riku would have easily labeled him as "emo" back in his high school. Right now, the man's blue eyes were narrowed as he glared up at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Zexion?"

"Yes. That's me." The man, Zexion straightened up as he adjusted his grip on the large book in his hands. "And you are? If I have seen you at all it has been a while."

"We've just been reassigned to this area. Leon thought it could use more helping hands, you know? So it makes sense that you don't know us."

Zexion's visible eyebrow rose before he let out a small huff, closing his eyes in annoyance. "You insult my intelligence. He," he pointed to Riku, "smells so strongly of Darkness that he must be a dark elemental himself, probably from the Jenovan line if I had to wager a guess. The youngest son then, Riku. He smells of ink as well, undoubtedly a half-hearted attempt to hide the hereditary silver hair. And I recognize you as well, Axel, unlike the boy you've not changed a bit. Not to mention that the scent of wilderness still clings to the both of you. You could have at least had the decency to bathe after you snuck into the palace. Now what did Lexaeus send you here for?"

Axel blinked then handed him the plate of food as Zexion motioned for it. "Oh, yeah, you saw this." The red-head glanced over at Riku then back to Zexion, tilting his head to the side. "You seem pretty sure of yourself though, all of those risky assumptions."

Turning away from them with food now in hand, Zexion walked back into the library. With a quick look to Axel to see that he was doing the same, Riku followed after the shorter man. He led them deeper into the heart of the library until they reached a desk of sorts perched in the middle of the room. Stacks of books were piled on top of it, the largest one lying open in the middle surrounded by scraps of paper and flanked by inkwells and quills. Zexion pushed some of the books to the side, setting down the covered dish before he finally turned back to inspect Axel. "They're hardly assumptions, they are fact. And they are only risky for you if I chose to announce your presence to the Superior. He would be quite irritated knowing you were here."

"Lexaeus said we could trust you."

Zexion's gaze burned into Axel's as he leaned back against his desk. "Can you? I have no Master's Ring controlling me. I willingly accepted the Superior's authority. Does that make me trustworthy in your eyes?"

"No. But right now we need information, so I'll get to the point. What do you know about the princes?"

A frown touched Zexion's almost feminine features as his eyes moved from Axel to Riku. "Not as much as I would like. That night was hectic for me as well." He suddenly straightened up and walked around his desk, grabbing one of the books from the stacks on top of it. With an ease that could come only through memorization, he flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "I have compiled some information about the night for my own curiosity. Multiple sources claim to have seen the princes being seen with Xemnas. I know as well that after the overthrow was completely established Xemnas came to me asking for help with the construction of a peculiar spell which led me to believe that the princes were in fact being kept alive but locked away somewhere."

"What sort of spell?"

"The illusion sort. Strong enough to contain the both of them." The man gave them a sideways glance, his eyes nearly glowing with a scheming glint. "If I were looking for the princes, I would start to look behind doors. The spell was meant for a small room, which I assume Xemnas would have guarded one way or another, possibly with another spell."

Sighing, Axel ran his hands over his face. "Alright. Well, at least we know that they're still together. And somewhat healthy hopefully. Let's get back to looking, Jenovan."

Riku glanced over at Zexion as Axel turned away. The smaller man's face was almost carefully devoid of emotion, though his eyes still glinted with obvious intelligence. Narrowing his own eyes, Riku glared at the spirit. "Hey, you're not going to tell that Xemnas guy that we're here, right?"

Axel slowed to a stop to hear Zexion's answer as the scholar fixed his gaze on Riku. "I might. It all depends on how things work out. In any case, you should be ready for such dangers; even if your plan succeeds you will be facing many more."

Riku frowned. This guy reminded him of some of his father's business associates, only more dangerous. Zexion was obviously smart. Riku could almost see the calculations going through the other's mind; it definitely was a possibility that this person would turn them in. Lexaeus had been smart too, but he had given off a much more loyal presence.

"Jenovan, quit wasting our time."

At the sound of Axel's voice, Riku broke gaze with Zexion and turned around to follow Axel out the door.

Just before they left, Zexion's quiet but firm voice reached their ears. "Make sure to close the door on your way out."

After the library, the two of them searched high and low for any doors that led to secret rooms. In particular, they focused in on the area around the infirmary and the rooms to the side and behind it. Riku knew that somehow that was where the prince's were hidden, but after close inspection of all the nearby rooms and even another trip into the infirmary at the risk of Vexen's wrath, they had come up with nothing. The rooms had all been nothing but maintenance closets. There had been one in particular which had been nearly pulsing with darkness but they had opened the door only to find that it held a Dusk inside. That had prompted another run to escape.

When both of them had finally admitted to exhaustion, they trudged back to the servant's quarters. Riku took a few minutes to visit the pathetic excuse for a bathroom at the end of the hall, knowing that if he went to their room first he wouldn't have the energy to go back out. The bathroom was really only a small room with a basin of water, a pit toilet, and a small stone tub with a rickety tap jutting out over it. There wasn't even a mirror, and the only water that came out from the tap was ice cold. Still, Riku suffered through it if only for the sake of his hair. Once he had scrubbed out the dye as best he could, relieved to find that it actually was coming out, he cleaned off the rest of his body then put his clothes back on and walked back into the hall. He still felt like could use a good shower, but at least he could at least pretend that he was somewhat clean again after than long trek through the wilderness. It seemed as though Zexion's comment about his scent had affected him more than he would have liked to admit.

On the way back to their bedroom, Riku happened to notice that the door across from theirs was slightly ajar. He was going to pass by without further inspection until he caught a flash of familiar blond hair. Then curiosity got the better of him. Creeping over to the door, Riku peeked inside, a smirk slowly forming on his face. Cloud was lying on a mattress on the stone ground, with Leon curled up right next to him. They were practically cuddling together in their sleep, one of Leon's arms draped lazily over Cloud's slim waist, Cloud's head tucked underneath his chin. Riku's smirk grew. He knew there had been something between them.

Stepping back before one of them woke up, he quietly closed the door then crossed the hall back to his room. Axel was already inside, the red-head raising a brow when he saw Riku's smirk. "What's that look for? Are you that happy to get your hair color back?"

"Yes, but furthermore I just found Cloud and Leon cuddling in the other room."

Axel snorted. "Ah, high school gossip. Don't think that it will cause much of a stir though. Everyone who was in the palace before the raid knew they were 'best friends,' if you know what I mean. Cloud never really went to the court gatherings because he's not a perspective heir, so he was always with Squall, er, Leon, whatever his name is." Lying back on what used to be Cloud's bed, he glanced over to Riku. "I would suggest getting some sleep. It's going to be another long day tomorrow."

Riku couldn't argue with that. He was already exhausted.

_He must have fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow. Idly wondering if he was going to have dreams every single time he went to sleep, he looked around at the familiar blindingly white room. It was such a boring room._

"_You haven't found me yet."_

_Riku could almost hear the pout, which was annoying because he didn't have a face to put the expression on. He tried to turn around only to find that he was stuck in place. With a low sigh, he crossed his arms. "You're hard to find. I barely even know what I'm supposed to be feeling."_

_He wasn't surprised to see arms wrap around him again, to feel a body come up behind his. The arms were slimmer and smaller than his own, the hands almost as small as a child's. Riku wanted to know what the prince looked like._

"_I'm sorry, Riku. I don't know where I am either."_

"_Help me find you then."_

_There was a small, thoughtful hum and then the voice brightened. "I know that it's our hearts that are connected." A hand reached up to lightly touch Riku's chest over his heart. "You have to feel with your heart." Suddenly, the figure behind him gasped, the hand tightening over Riku's heart. "Wait, I remember something! Roxas and I were taken through a wall, a man led us through a wall, to a room with a black door! I don't, I don't know what happened to him after that!" _

_Feeling the arms around him tremble slightly, Riku covered the other's hands with his own, for some reason needing to offer comfort. After a second, the prince composed himself and Riku felt a head fall against his back again. "We were hidden. Please, find us. Don't give up."_

"_I won't."_

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_O_

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	8. Chapter 8

Haha! I crossed over 100 reviews! Awesome, dudes! You guys seriously rock. I can only hope to keep my story going good enough to have earned all of your praise. ^^ Heh. Still happy. Okay, focusing on other things. Let's see…uh…nope, I got nothing. Still just giddy over the thought that I hit 100 reviews so early with the new plotline. So while I try to think coherent thoughts, I'll take the time to thank everyone who reviewed: zi-ling, 73n5Hl, Mirror and Darkling, -xX Twilit Memories Xx-, Aindel S. Druida, CloudedMirror, Chronos Mephistopheles, Ramen-is-my-goddess, XfallenXshadowX, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, redamiB6147, The Pregnant Chad, Chaotic Darkness, kurumaotokoiscarmen, Randomasdf, FlurryDivider! Yay. Luv you all. ;)

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Chapter 8

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When Riku woke from the dream he found his hand clutching at his chest, grasping at the fabric of his shirt. He sucked in a shaky breath, sitting up as once again that desperate demand to search and find his charge slammed into his body. Damn. This feeling had to at least be equal to if not exceed someone on withdrawal. His body was screaming at him to get up. To start moving. To find what he had lost. Wrapping his arms around himself, he forced the instinct back down to a level he could ignore. He was Riku Jenovan. He was not going to be controlled by some stupid yearning.

Through sheer force of will alone, he quelled the demands from his body to a level which allowed him to actually think.

That dream he had just had. Riku wracked his memory for what they had talked about. The prince…he had mentioned that he and his brother had been taken _through_ a wall. Riku's eyes flashed open. If the princes had been taken through a wall, then they would have to search again. He wanted a better look around the infirmary.

Not knowing how long he had actually slept, Riku swung his legs out of bed then stood up. Spotting Axel across the room sprawled across the other bottom bunk, Riku quickly walked over and kicked the other's mattress. Axel awoke with a start, his hands instinctually clenching into fists before his mind caught up with him and he identified Riku. The look of wary surprise turned to annoyance. "Ugh. What is it?"

"Get up. We're heading out again."

Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, Axel propped himself up onto his elbows, staring at Riku with sleepy confusion. "What?"

"We need to go back to the infirmary. Now."

"I don't believe this." Axel leaned his head back in exasperation. "The one time I actually want to rest, you want to go out. Shouldn't have expected less, I guess." With a wince, he sat up all the way, his hand carding through his red spikes to comb out some of the worst tangles. "Fine. I'm up. Just give me a second to put my shirt on and then we can get going before you stop being cooperative."

Riku waited impatiently for Axel to stumble up and pull a shirt over his skinny torso then headed to the door.

"Hey, your hair-"

"Forget the hair, Axel. I'm finding them this time so we'll have bigger problems to worry about."

Axel shrugged, apparently still half-asleep and not really caring what sort of trouble Riku got himself into as they walked out into the hall. They had only gotten a few steps though when Leon's door swung open, the lion spirit stepping outside with an irritated frown on his face. By the mussed state of his hair and the fact that he was just pulling on his white undershirt, as well as the glower on his face, it was clear that he had been woken from the slight sound they had made. "Where do the two of you think you're going?"

Riku turned, frowning back at the older man. He felt like a kid who had got caught skipping class. "I know what to look for now, we're going out to look again."

"Not looking like that you're not."

Shrugging, Riku turned back around with a dismissing wave of his hand then continued to walk down the hall. "I'm not wasting time with dying it again."

From behind him, he heard Leon growl low, but instead of the attack he had been half-expecting, he heard a series of rustles of things being buckled and zipped up followed by a door closing. A moment later, both Leon and Cloud had caught up with him and Axel, both of them armed. "If you're going to be stubborn," Leon growled, "Then we've no choice but to go with you this time."

Riku didn't bother to reply but just continued to walk. He did however, spare a second to glance over at Leon's weapon. Like Cloud's, it was a sword, but it also looked to have a revolver of sorts built into the hilt. Weird. Riku didn't even know that they had guns in the spirit world. But he shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore. Refocusing his attention on the mission ahead, he placed his hand over his heart as they left the servant areas.

He could still feel the warmth of the prince's touch on his skin.

It was disturbing, and making it all the more necessary that they find him now. He wanted to get rid of the dreams, get rid of the feelings he had to smother every time he woke up. He had never cared so much about one person, he had never had to before. This…attachment, was new and strange, and all the worse because he had never even seen the damn person he felt so strongly for.

If the halls had been sparsely populated before, than they were completely deserted now. When he questioned Leon about it, the lion spirit could only shrug. "A system of hours had to be kept for everyone's sanity, even without the sun rising. Right now, its night-time officially. Most people are sleeping."

With the lack of people, they were able to reach the infirmary area in record time. Axel sighed with exasperation at the sight of it but Riku ignored the sound and walked up to the double doors, his hand still pressed over his chest. When he focused, he realized that the feeling wasn't necessarily leading him inside the doors. Frowning thoughtfully, he allowed his hand to slide across the stone wall next to it.

Standing behind him, Axel asked, "What are you doing?"

"Feeling."

"…for what?"

"An entrance. Now shut up so I can focus."

Not caring that three impatient and sleep-deprived warriors surrounded him, Riku continued to move down the wall, slowly circling the exterior of the infirmary block. The tension was back in his heart, that pulsing electric feel increasing with each step. He was getting closer. There was a hidden door here, and he was going to find it.

A few more steps, after having turned the corner of the hall, the hand against the wall suddenly fell through seemingly solid rock. Gasping with surprise, Riku jerked his hand back. As he pulled his hand away from the wall though, a silver-white dagger chased after it, swiping at his fingertips.

Riku found himself thrown to the side as the rest of the Dusk sprung from the wall, Leon taking his place to parry the Dusk's strike with his sword. Brow furrowed, Leon let out another shout as four more Dusks shot out behind the first. "Cloud! Axel!"

Cloud growled, running forward to meet one of the Dusks with a lightening-fast swing as Axel quickly called his chakrams to his hands, fire engulfing them as he raised them up for attack, facing two of them with narrowed eyes. Clearly, these Dusk things were far stronger than the Heartless outside the castle had been. Even Riku could see that. After all, Cloud hadn't killed it with his first attack.

And the last Dusk was heading straight toward him.

Tensing, Riku twisted to the side as it suddenly rushed him. Ducking when it swung out with its sharp arm, Riku just barely managed to anticipate a second strike and dodged just quick enough. His shirt had a cut across it, but at least his arm was still on. Hissing, he jumped back as the thing lurched forward, once again able to tell it was coming just in time to move to the side. Through his panic, he was infinitely thankful that this thing was slower than Cloud; after having spent so many hours trying to follow the wolf's attacks, anything at a normal speed seemed slow. Slow enough for him to easily dodge. Maybe the training had paid off after all-

Or not. He let out a cry of surprise as the Dusk suddenly rushed him, its strange, plastic body slamming into his and causing him to skid across the floor. Just as it jumped for him, Leon rammed into its side, knocking it off course before he buried his sword into its chest. With a grunt, Leon pulled his sword out as the creature disappeared into a cloud of dust then ran a hand through his brown hair, turning to look down at Riku. "That was unexpected…"

Frowning, Riku pushed himself back onto his feet. "Yeah, well, they were probably just guarding the room behind the wall."

"Not exactly what I was talking about it, though I did fail to smell their presence. Cloud, you've been training him?"

From Riku's other side, Cloud gave a little half-shrug.

Riku's frown deepened as he crossed his arms. "Wait. Were you saying it was surprising that I actually managed to defend myself?" When he received no response, the silence in itself served as an affirmative answer. Snorting, he moved back over to the wall, pushing Axel to the side. "It's not like I can't learn. If I had actually something to defend myself with, I could have taken it down myself."

"I'll bet." Riku didn't know if Axel was being sarcastic or not. It was safest to assume that he was. "Now," the red-head walked up next to him to face the wall, putting his own hand to it, tentatively resting it against the solid rock. "What was that thing you did just then?"

Riku smirked. "I went through the wall."

"But that's impossible."

"Maybe you're just not…confident enough." With a bold step, Riku stepped forward. Into the wall. It felt simply like a rush of cool air as he passed through to the other side and when he opened his eyes he found himself in an empty room, the only thing in it a large black door towering on the opposite wall. The pounding in his chest was stronger than ever, he could feel the electric heat traveling into his limbs now, telling him that he was so close. Nearly there. He turned around to see an empty doorway covered by a thin, shimmering film of sorts. It almost looked similar to a stone wall pattern imprinted onto tissue paper. Behind it, he could see Axel, Cloud, and Leon staring at the wall in surprise. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, forcing himself to enjoy the moment despite the current of energy pulling at him to go through the black doors. That had just been one of the coolest things he had ever done.

The cocky smirk remained proudly on his face even after he watched the other three in turn pass through the wall into the secret room. Leon was the last to step through and he quickly took a look around, eyeing the entrance he had just come through with slight distain. "It was an illusion spell. The gods only know how long it's been there for. We would have never gotten through unless we had known it had been there."

Axel huffed, crossing his arms, "Zexion. That bastard. He couldn't have explained himself better?"

"Zexion's not exactly known for clearly giving up information. Trust me." Leon looked over at Riku. "How did you know it was there?"

Riku shrugged nonchalantly, still smirking gleefully inside. "I figured it out after a good night's sleep." He would tell them he got the information from a dream over his cold, dead body. He needed the reputation boost after all. Now after seeing their faces, he could attend to the problem at hand and the heat in his chest. Turning to the large black door, he motioned to it curiously, "Is there anything wrong with that door? We need to get through it."

There was a quiet roar as Axel lit a fire in the palm of his hand, the light casting more detail onto the giant door. Under the glow, Riku could now see that the black door was actually decorated with raised swirls and designs, a large handle made of twisting dark metal. In the center of the ornamentation were the outlines of two keys crossed over each other.

At the sight of the designs, Axel let out a low breath, his voice sounding almost awed. "I think this is really it. I think you actually did it, Riku."

"The door reeks of Darkness, though." Leon rumbled. Walking up beside Axel, he frowned and glared up at the door. "I have no doubt that it's been spelled as well. I suppose there's only one way to find out how strong the magic is."

The lion spirit reached out for the handle. As soon as his fingers touched the metal there was a burst of black light. Leon flew back, tumbling to the ground as if he had been thrown. Immediately Cloud was at his side, helping him sit up as the lion shook his rattled head. Black sparks jumped across his skin, the aftershocks of the light burst, as he grit his teeth, one grey eye opening in a pained wince. "There's, there's definitely something there…It's not just a spell though. There's an entity in there. The shadow of a dark spirit."

Cloud frowned then straightened up, approaching the door himself. From the ground, Leon let out a growl of protest but Cloud nonetheless reached out and grabbed the handle. Again, it let out a dark blast of energy. Cloud hung on for a second longer than Leon had before he was thrown back as well, a sharp yelp escaping him before he hit the ground not one foot from Leon, black sparks also crawling over his skin. Letting out a growl, Leon grabbed Cloud's still shoulder, rolling him over. Cloud twitched then his blond eyebrows drew together in pain. "Cloud, are you okay?"

"Nn…fine. It was just a shock." Cloud struggled to lift himself up onto his elbows then opened his eyes to glare at the door, his voice a quiet growl. "I haven't felt something so strong for a while…Leon's right. It's dark. And the door itself is possessed by something sentient."

Axel crossed his arms. "I bet that Superior guy bonded a soul to it. From what I've heard he'd be twisted enough to do something like that." Glancing over to Riku and perhaps seeing some confusion, he elaborated a little. "It's possible to reduce spirits down to their souls. Kind of like killing their bodies but not their minds. It's not a fun process, and there's danger on all sides of the process of disappearing completely, but if he was able to do it, than it would be child's play after that to seal the soul to the door. The ultimate sentinel of sorts."

Riku pursed his lips. They had to get inside. He was going to go insane if they didn't. Leon and Cloud, and undoubtedly Axel, couldn't even touch the door. He took a breath, running his hands over his shirt before stepping up to the door. Seeing what he was up to, Axel frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Taking control of the situation. This might be our only chance to get to them. I'm not afraid." After a glance back at Cloud and Leon, Riku closed his eyes then grabbed the handle. For a split second, he felt nothing but the cold metal but then a chill rushed up his arm like a freezing flame, a black light exploding around him. He heard himself gasp as a chilling laugh echoed around him, the burning sensation sinking into every part of his body. It was painful, yes, but that laugh forced his dignity to keep his hold on the door.

"_You're quite tenacious, little dark one, hanging on for so long. The other's let go so much faster. Of course if it was me, I would have just fired a Dark Barrage at the door to break it down._"

There was a second's pause. Riku took the chance to try to open the door but it wouldn't budge.

"_Oh, but you don't know how to use Dark Barrage. You don't even know a single spell._"

The damn freak was reading his mind!

"_Your so-called friends haven't taught you to use your powers. They haven't even given you a weapon. Left you weak and easy to control. After all, none of them could manage a full-fledged dark elemental. They're nothing but weak animals."_

Clearly this thing hadn't seen Cloud or the others fight.

"_If you think those creatures are strong, then you have no idea what potential you have. What power all dark elementals have. They've kept you from proper education because they're afraid of what you will be capable of._"

Riku could barely think clearly anymore. This man's voice was ripping through his min, his words seeping past his barriers. It wasn't as if they hadn't taught him anything. Cloud had taught him to defend himself, how to fight. It was true that they hadn't given him a weapon yet, but they hadn't really had the time-

"_They're never going to give you a weapon. Not if they have it their way. You'll always remain weaker than them if you do nothing but follow along with their orders. They'll make sure of it. They'll always keep you under their heels._" The freezing air around him seemed to whip around him."_I can give you power. Set me free from this immobile prison and I'll teach you all you need to know about the darkness. I will make you something stronger than what they could ever hope to be._"

All he wanted to do was to get the damn door open. He'd deal with the problem of being "weak" later on when he really had time to talk to Axel. He wasn't going to lose his head thinking about it now.

"_Ah. I'll put this another way then. Release me and I'll not only make you stronger, but once I leave this door, you will be freely able to open it. Either way, you win._"

Riku's brows furrowed. He couldn't think straight anymore. He felt as if he was being burned alive in the freezing darkness, he couldn't even defend himself against this man's attacks. The words were being drilled straight into his mind. Damn it. He just wanted to get this thing over with. And secretly, he was getting angry at the words being said. If it was true that Cloud and Axel weren't telling him how to use his power because they were afraid…that just pissed him off.

"_There's nothing for you to lose. There's no risk. You have too much willpower so I can't do more than advise you. If you decide to release me, simply say, '__Xehanort's Heartless, I release you from your prison and agree to be your host.' Then you will have no more worries._"

Riku pursed his lips. This didn't sound right, but they had to get through the door. And he wanted more power. He wasn't going to be the one who could only dodge blows again. He wanted to be stronger than Cloud, Axel, and Leon combined. Letting out a breath, he steeled himself then called out. "Xehanort's Heartless, I release you from your prison…and agree to be your host!"

"_Fool._"

As soon as the words left his lips, the burning in his body increased tenfold. He could feel them warping as something flowed down his arm, a heavy presence. Xehanort's Heartless, whatever the thing was, Riku could feel it sinking into him. He let out a shout, wrenching his stiff hand off of the handle, panic welling up inside him when he realized that his shout had been much lower than his voice usually was. Shit, what was happening to him?!

"_You're my new host. Let us see what one of us really has the stronger will. I was right about one thing. This body of yours does have great potential, such a great store of dark magic waiting to be put to use._"

He felt as if he wasn't even in control of his body any more. Letting out a gasp of pain, he fell back half a step from the door then forced himself back to it. Ignoring the pain, the sensation of his body changing, the heaviness of his breath, he grabbed the door of the handle again and pushed with all of the energy he had left.

The large door cracked open an inch underneath his weight before his legs gave out from underneath him and he fell to his knees, his hands flying against the door to soften the fall.

The only thing he could hear was the sound of his own strange breathing, the low noise rattling past his lips his hands, splayed in front of him, were turning tan before his very eyes. Then a hand fell on his shoulder, roughly twisting him around to come face to face with Axel, the redhead's image swimming in front of his eyes.

"What did you do?!"

"_Go ahead, tell him what you've done._"

The voice wasn't getting out of his head. Riku looked up at Axel with desperation. He couldn't think straight with the new voice in his head. "Axel…!"

Then Leon pushed Axel to the side, the lion grabbing Riku's arms, his scarred face grave. "Riku. Listen to me. Take a deep breath and get control over yourself. You, Riku Jenovan, you're in charge of this body. You're not going to let that thing win, are you?"

"_It is an excellent question. Are you?_"

No. He wasn't. Taking a few deep breaths, Riku clenched his eyes shut. He was Riku Jenovan. He was better than Xehanort's Heartless. He could feel the other's presence inside his body and he fought to smother it with the same willpower which he smothered his instincts to find the prince. The initial panic was settling to anger at himself and at Xehanort's Heartless for having caused him to lose his cool in the first place. He wasn't going to tolerate that voice in his head any more. He wasn't some crazy schizophrenic, he wasn't going to allow it.

It took a few minutes, but when he finally opened his eyes again, he could hear that his breathing has returned to its normal level, though it was now coming out in trembling bursts. The rolling sensation across his skin had stopped, and lifting his hands, he could see that his skin was back to its normal pale complexion. And the voices had stopped.

In front of him, he could now see Leon clearly. The lion was staring down at him with an intense expression, a mixture of concern and possibly something akin to alarm. When Riku met his gaze though, he let out a quiet sigh. "Good…" he murmured, "Back to blue."

Riku swallowed; his throat felt raw but he croaked out anyway. "What, what do you mean?"

Crouching down next to Leon, Axel frowned. "You looked like a whole other person a second ago. Big, with tan skin and gold eyes, kind of ugly." He smirked weakly when Riku started. "Don't worry, you're back to your normal pretty-boy self. What happened?"

"I…" Riku paused. If he told them about Xehonort's Heartless, about how the man could talk to him in his head, he'd have surely be bombarded with questions and lectures and warnings. It was possibly better to avoid that topic for a while until he understood things better. His body was still aching from the momentary transformation and his head was still reeling. He didn't want to deal with anything else right now. "I opened the door. The thing inside it wouldn't get out until I said a few things."

"You agreed to be its host. You're possessed right now, Riku."

Riku frowned and, finally noticing that a sliver of light was pouring over his shoulder from the cracked door, shook his head, the movement causing him to wince. "We'll worry about that later. Right now, we have some princes to find." With a shaky hand, he swatted Leon's grip away then twisted around and tottered to his feet.

He could already tell, from the thin sliver of light, that the next room would be bright. But as he pushed the door open, he had no idea how blinding that had meant it would be. Instantly, he caught sight of the white walls and floor from his dream, but in the middle of the room were two flower pods, tall enough to nearly touch the ceiling. Blinking with surprise, Riku took a step inside the room, the other three following close behind him. His heart was hammering in his chest, exhaustion over everything that had just taken place settling over his body like a heavy cloak.

Though the two were side by side, Riku instinctually approached the one on the right. As soon as he was within five feet of it though, both pods started to move. They were opening up. Riku let out a breath as the unfurling petals revealed two clear bubbles of sorts, each holding a body in suspension. Riku couldn't help but avoid looking at the one he was approaching; his nerves were shot along with his strength. For some reason he felt suddenly…shy.

The left pod, the one Axel was tentatively stepping up to, had a blond boy inside it. He couldn't have been any older than thirteen or so. There was a definite resemblance to Cloud, the hair was less spiky but still impressively defying gravity. Their faces too, were similarly delicate, almost feminine. He looked to be relatively small as well, almost appearing frail, though that might just be because of the state he was in.

Finally, Riku turned his head to look at what the pod had approached held. He felt his eyes widen. There was a brown-haired boy, no a teenager, older than the blond, with spiky brown hair that rivaled Cloud's. Riku's eyes traveled down the boy's tan face to his arms, and his hands. He recognized those hands. And the pounding in his heart had finally stopped, though it was now emitting warmth he had never felt before. With what strength he had left in his quickly deteriorating state of mind, he closed the distance between himself and the pod with a few broad steps then reached out and laid his hand over the clear shell of the bubble.

Inside, the boy twitched then slowly, his eyes opened, revealing a blue gaze as bright as the skies over Destiny Islands.

Riku let out a sigh for some reason at the sight, an immense relief welling inside of him as the other boy blinked. The smaller hand, the one that had held onto him in his dreams, raised up to press against the side of the pod over his as the prince's lips moved, saying something Riku couldn't hear from outside. Riku couldn't help but smile slightly, the relief inside him was just too strong; it was as if his mind had just been settled after some gut-wrenching worry. He could even feel a weight lift from his shoulders he didn't even know had been there. The relief however, opened his body up to finally feeling the exhaustion, and before he knew it, his vision went black as he fainted.

At least he'd kept his promise. He'd found the prince. He had found Sora.

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	9. Chapter 9

Oh, wow, dudes. Okay, first order of business. You guys TOTALLY ROCK. I don't know what I did right or what but that last chapter got me the most reviews ever. Total awesomeness. ^^ Secondly…I'm sorry that I'm a little late with this chapter, many things came up: term papers in every class, friend's b-day, not to mention my sister introduced me to Hetalia this weekend (USxUK ftw…I mean…what, who said that?). Oh yeah, and fanfiction totally screwed us over for a few days and made me lazy to write. ^^' While these are all shoddy excuses, I hope you'll all forgive me and continue to review, because I love reviews and reviewers so. ;) That said, much thanks and love goes out to: Chronos Mephistopheles, Twilight-Oblivion, Chaotic Darkness, A-chan, Aindel S. Druida, kurumaotokoiscarmen, NiffStral, zi-ling, Silver Butterfly07, FlurryDivider, Randomasdf, Dust to Dusk, redamiB6147, Ivy J., Mirror and Darkling, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, XfallenXshadowX, CloudedMirror, whereowhere-is-my-rabbit, 73n5Hl, eve, -xX Twilit Memories Xx-, ramen-is-my-goddess, Sanya Kielo, miforever29, deludedfreak. Thank you all so much! :D

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Chapter 9

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It felt as if the world was swimming around him as Riku slowly pulled himself out of unconsciousness. His head ached. Actually, his whole body ached. And he was so cold, it was as if his body has been frozen stiff. He couldn't move anything, he could barely even get his lungs to function. He thought that he was probably lying down though, from the feel of things. Where he was lying down, he couldn't tell. He couldn't get his eyes to open and his sense of touch had been chilled to the point that he couldn't tell one material touching him from another.

He felt a tremor-like shiver run through his body, his lips opening to release a shaky gasp. A second later, a hand lay on his chest, the touch instantly sending warmth through his body and calming his shivers. Riku took in a deep breath, greedily sucking in air as his eyes fluttered open to be met with the too familiar sight of the bottom of the top bunk. So he was back in the servant's quarters than.

His gaze trailed up from the hand on his chest up to a familiar face with sky blue eyes and spiky brown hair. A frown flitted across Riku's lips and he closed his eyes again, tilting his head back and letting out another deep breath that came out as a low groan. His head still hurt, damn it. The hand on his chest tightened a bit, a voice, _his_ voice, murmuring quietly. "Take your time waking up. You've been through a lot." The voice rose as he spoke to someone else in the room. "He's awake!"

Footsteps echoed through the room and a moment later Riku felt a shadow loom over him. With a grunt, he forced his eyes open again, his expression turning sour when he saw Leon leaning over him.

"How are you feeling?"

"How do you think?" Riku rasped out. His voice trailed off with an irritated growl and he frowned. "What happened? I don't remember what happened after those..._pod_ things opened up."

That wasn't entirely true. He remembered seeing the prince's eyes open, and their hands almost touching…But that was unnecessary information.

"You fainted. We managed to get the princes free and carry you back to our room without being seen." Leon paused then ran a hand through his brown mane. "We can give you a few moments to collect yourself as we plan our next move in my room. Prince Sora-"

"Both of them need to be looked after, so I'll stay here, Leon. If you don't mind. I trust your judgment to decide what we're to do next."

"Of course, Your Majesty. If you need anything, we'll just be in the next room over."

Riku frowned. Why had Sora said "both of them?" As the lion spirit left the room, Riku turned his head to see that the smaller, blond prince was curled up on the bunk across from his own. The boy's back was against the wall, his arms were wrapped around his legs, his face buried in his knees. Apparently noting the direction of his gaze, Sora spoke up softly, quiet enough to keep his words from reaching across the room. "Roxas just learned about what happened to Reno. I couldn't imagine…" Riku's eyes flashed back up to Sora's face. Sora managed a weak smile. "I've heard that it hurts both your heart and your body. When your Guardian dies."

Riku frowned. He had nothing to say to that.

At his silence, Sora frowned a little then suddenly straightened up with a sort of realization. "That's right. Cloud told me that you…that you couldn't remember anything. I guess I should reintroduce myself then!" An almost bashful grin spread across Sora's face as he scratched the back of his head. Riku's eyes narrowed slightly. Somehow the prince that had been talking to Leon had turned into a bubbly teenage boy. "My name is Sora Fair, Crown Prince of the spirit world! It's nice to see you again, even though it barely seems as if any time has passed."

Riku pushed himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the ache in his body. He was not one to make a weak first impression. "Riku Jenovan. Guardian of the Crown Prince. Or so I've been told."

"Heh." Sora's voice was warm, as if Riku was a long-time friend that he spoke to every day. "It's strange; you've grown up so much. They've told me that so much time has gone by, but I only really believed them because you nearly look like an adult now. It's true that I've grown too, but all I could tell from that was that I needed a larger clothing size." He motioned down to his new change of clothes, which looked like a mismatched assortment of the servants' outfit. Obviously the other clothes had been replaced as quickly as possible.

It was a little irritating really, to listen to Sora talk about them as if they had grown up together. It was as if he was just pounding in the fact that a huge chunk of his life somehow went missing. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to snap at the other teen.

Some how the voice itself was calming, the sound of it not as annoying as those kids in high school who clamored for his attention. But that was probably because he was so tired. He even found himself entering into the conversation. "Have they told you yet, about what happened?"

Sora's face fell. "…Yes. I've heard some. Cloud told me that our father was, was killed. Along with Reno, and many other of our faithful servants." His tone was returning to that princely seriousness. "It's unbelievable that something like this would have happened. My father was a good king, and his usurpers just allowed this world to fall to ruin." His gaze met Riku's. "I might have been better able to understand, if they had improved the conditions, but the world feels cold and empty now. I'm almost afraid to leave the palace if I'm going to have to see what happened to the people outside."

"Really?"

"I said 'almost.' I also know that I have to see what has happened." Letting out a small sigh, Sora dropped his hand from Riku's chest. Immediately a cold wave washed over his body and Riku let out a sharp gasp. Something was constricting his mind, a silent noise, ringing through him. His hands gripped into his silver hair as he instinctually curled forward; he couldn't think straight!

"Riku!" A hand flew to Riku's forehead. "I'm sorry, I forgot. Hold still for a second."

Riku cracked an eye open when light hit his eyelids, a small noise of surprise escaping him. Sora was glowing. Literally. His face was actually lighting up the room, his eyes closed in what looked to be concentration. Slowly, Riku felt the cold settle down again, and was slowly able to pull his thoughts together. He took a few deep breaths, his heart pounding in his chest. After a few minutes, the light around Sora's body dimmed and he opened his eyes again, a small, almost sad, smile making its way to his lips.

"Leon and Cloud told me what you did to get into the room where we were. That you made a pact with the spirit inside the door and that it possessed you. You've got a lot of darkness in you right now, but don't worry, I can balance it out and keep Xehanort's heartless at bay. Besides, I know you're strong enough to keep it under control yourself."

Riku was about to reply when there was a knock on their door. Both Sora and Riku tensed, only relaxing when Axel slipped inside. The redhead had a light frown on his face as Sora chirped up. "How is it going? Do you have a plan?"

"We're still working things out. It's going to be hard to get all of us out of the palace undetected." Axel pursed his lips, letting out a quiet breath as his eyes settled on Roxas's curled-up form.

Following his gaze, Sora frowned as well, his eyes saddening. Then he motioned with his head for Axel to go over. Axel blinked then bit his lip, his brows knitting together. From his own bunk, Riku looked on curiously. He had never seen Axel so nervous. It was certainly a strange sight, usually the lanky man was so…confident.

As Axel slowly approached Roxas, Sora turned back to Riku and they shared a look before subtly moving to watch the scene that was taking place on the other side of the room.

Axel knelt down next to the bed, resting his arms on the edge of the bunk though not reaching out to touch Roxas's legs. It was as if he was afraid that any actual contact would be too much for the boy to handle. "Prince Roxas…"

Roxas barely lifted his head away from his knees, the blue from his eyes just seeping through his spiky, blonde bangs. He gaze though was on nothing, passing right over Axel's head. Axel sighed then tried again. The patience he was already showing was amazing from what Riku knew about him. He must really like the kid then. "…Roxas, I'm here for you, okay? It must feel horrible, I know, all of this hard is take in-"

"Hard to take in? Reno's dead!" The cracked voice broke out in an angry burst as Roxas raised his head to reveal tears running down his cheeks. He let out a shuddering breath before continuing. "My Guardian's dead! He died because of me, you don't know how I feel at all!"

From the other side of the room, Sora made to stand up and come to his brother's rescue but Axel beat him to it. The redhead sprung to his feet, his body language quick and angry as he threw his hand out. "You think I don't know how you feel?! Reno wasn't just your Guardian, he was my brother!" His voice immediately lowered to a gruff murmur after that, as if he checked his own temper as Roxas stared up at him in what looked to be shock. "…Don't assume you felt more pain than me. I've just had more time to adjust."

Axel's shoulder's drooped a little and he scratched the back of his head. "But anyway…Reno wouldn't want you crying over him this much. He knew what he signed up for. He had a lot of fun with his job, and he was really proud that he would be there when you needed him. He talked about you all the time. I mean, he talked about anything and everything, but you were one of his favorite topics."

Roxas blinked then suddenly began to tremble and reached out to grab onto Axel's shirt. His head fell back down to his knees as he shook, his slim shoulders quaking with a new flood of tears. Frowning, Axel leaned down, crawling onto the bunk next to Roxas before tentatively wrapping an arm around Roxas. "Hey, it's gonna be okay…"

Riku's attention was diverted from the almost sickeningly tender moment as Sora let out a small sigh. When he caught his aquamarine gaze, Sora smiled shakily, shaking his head before he reached up to run his fingers through Riku's hair. The intimate gesture sent a shock through Riku and he batted the other's hand away with a small frown. He had barely met Sora, no matter what anyone else said about them being "so close" in the past. Besides, he didn't even let Kairi mess up his hair. Wow. It had been a long time since he had thought about Kairi.

Sora took the rejection in stride though, with all the grace his princely station suggested as he tilted his head to the side. "…I'm sorry, it really has been a while, hasn't it?"

Riku was about to reply when a loud bang slammed into their door. Riku felt himself jump as, on the other side of the room, Axel started before quickly springing to his feet. "What the hell?" There was another bang on the other side of the door followed by a series of fluttering scratches. Whatever wanted in was neither patient nor delicate. "Damn." Axel hissed. "Watch out everyone."

Riku tensed as Axel approached the door. For some reason, he really didn't want to know what was on the other side. The tension in the room had just risen exponentially.

Holding his hand up, Axel inched toward the handle, fingers poised to call their fire as in one movement he ripped the door open. Instead of a figure however, a rush of paper whipped into the room as if carried by an invisible wind, the paper twisting and dancing around a book suspended in the center of its aerobatics. Undoubtedly having seen the strange mass in the hall, Leon and Cloud quickly ran into the room after it, their weapons raised as the papers fluttered about. The papers, which actually appeared to be pages from a book, quickly curled into shapes, pulling together to reveal a sort of humanoid figure clutching the book in his hands. A paper mouth split the formless face and Zexion's voice filled the room.

"_Idiots. I told you to close the door on your way out."_

Axel was the first to speak up, shaking himself out of his shock. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"_You left the door to the prince's prison open. I told you to close it. By leaving the door open you triggered the alarm."_

"We thought you were talking about the library door!" Axel's voice rose with exasperation. "You could have been a little more damn specific about that little detail!"

_"I didn't think you would be so stupid as to not understand. But there's no time left to argue about this. The Superior has sensed the disturbance. There are people coming your way to intercept you, he's taking no chances. If you don't move now, you'll be trapped in the servant's quarters. Hurry!"_

As soon as his last word clipped off, the human-shaped paper form suddenly fell apart like autumn leaves, the pages flying back into the book before it clattered to the ground. Before it had even hit the stone floor however, Leon and Cloud had already taken action; Cloud running to Roxas as Leon moved over to Riku's side. "Stand up."

The command had left no room to argue and Riku wasn't about to. Zexion's message had been loud and clear. With a quiet grunt as the movement caused a sting of aching pain to shoot though his body, Riku still pushed himself off of the bed. Looking back at their small group as Cloud ran ahead into the hallway, Leon called out. "Your Majesties, stay between me and Axel, no complaining, no exceptions. Riku, in the back with Axel. Prepare for a fight."

As Axel summoned his chakrams, Riku turned to him. "Give me a weapon!"

"Yeah, we don't really have time for that, Jenovan."

Riku scowled, his empty hands tightening into fists as Xehanort's words came back to him with mocking clarity. "How can I prepare for a fight if you won't give me something to fight with?"

"Look, we can deal with this later, okay? Just don't get hit and you'll be fine."

"Great advice!" Riku's sarcasm was lost on Axel as the redhead herded the two princes after Leon. Riku had not choice but to follow after him, a silver eyebrow rising as he found the group still out in the hall, bunched together as they waited for a plan of action. In front of the group, Cloud sniffed the air then quickly snorted the smell out, his expression dark. "They're coming."

"I've caught their scent too," Leon murmured. "Let's go!"

Nodding Cloud began their sprinting escape, setting a fast pace for the others to follow as they raced through the halls. After a few twists and turns, Riku was thoroughly turned around but, ahead of the group, Cloud showed no intention of slowing down.

Just behind the wolf spirit, Leon suddenly called out, "They're closing in on us!"

"I know." Cloud's voice was rough and tense as they continued to run, suddenly switching directions and taking a smaller side hall. Riku frowned as he felt a rush of cold at his side, bristling as he twisted to see a silver shape forming in the wall.

"Hey, heads up!"

Axel looked over just as the Dusk pulled out of the wall. With a swing of his chakram, he cut it down, sending it to oblivion as Riku turned to look behind them. His eyes widened when he saw that more Dusks were closing in on them. He let out a low curse. There were a lot of them. This Superior guy wasn't playing around any more. Axel quickly turned around when he heard Riku and twisted his chakrams up into a ready position, nearly running backwards as he tried to keep up with the moving group as well as keep the enemy in sight. "Leon, they're coming up behind us pretty fast!"

"Those aren't the ones we need to worry about."

Suddenly, at the head of the group, Cloud stopped in his tracks, halting their progress as the Dusks continued to well up from the hallway behind them. Feeling the increasing drop in temperature just as much as he saw them approaching, Riku clenched his fists and glanced ahead to Cloud, calling out. "What's the hold up?"

He saw the reason for the stop before Cloud even had to say anything as he looked passed Cloud and Leon's tense shoulders. Ahead of them, two people were standing in the center of the large hallway, clearly blocking the path despite the fact that their group easily could have physically slipped around them. Both were wearing that long black cloak. The man had long blue hair and golden eyes, a large cross-shaped scar cutting between his eyes in a way very similar to Leon's own scar. The other was surprisingly a woman, though she hardly appeared to be a gentle girl with her short blond hair cut, two bangs springing up almost as if they had been electrified. At the moment, she didn't appear to be carrying anything but the man had what could only be described as a giant claymore sword held as if weightless in one hand. Clearly these people were going to be trouble.

The girl tilted her head to the side in what would have been a cute, girlish manner if she hadn't also been smirking cruelly, "Now, now, Leon. I don't know what you have planned but the Superior doesn't like that you've stolen his captives." Behind Cloud and Leon, Sora had grabbed Roxas's shoulder protectively, both princes glaring at the new enemies as the girl continued. "You've gone and pissed off some bad people, and we've been sent to clean things up. But if you want to live, all you have to do is give back the brats."

Even from behind, Riku knew that Leon must have been scowling as he lifted his sword into a defensive position. "Get out of our way, Larxene."

"Fine. If that's the way you want to play it. Saix, what did the Superior say if they didn't cooperate?"

The blue haired man looked across at them calmly, though the look in his golden eyes told of something much fiercer. "That we were to kill them."

"Right. I thought that was what he said!" Without missing a beat, she whipped out a knife and threw it. Leon just barely managed to bring his sword up in time to block its path toward his chest. But as soon as metal touched metal, a rain of electric bolts zipped down the weapon.

Leon barely acknowledged the shock as it rushed to his hands, much to Larxene's apparent surprise and disappointment. Her expression actually looked as if she was going to enjoy watching him be electrocuted. With a soft snort, Leon lifted one gloved hand away from the weapon. "Leather gloves. Not conductive."

Larxene scowled then drew out two more knives, "Let's get them, Saix!"

As they ran forward, Leon just had the time to call out. "Axel, take the Dusks! Riku, get the princes out of here-!" Then Larxene slashed out at him, forcing him to defend himself with the broadside of his sword.

Saix and Cloud met weapon-to-weapon half-way, clashing together with a meeting of growls and snarls. Riku could only guess that Saix was an animal spirit as well before his attention was quickly diverted to the action behind them. Their small rescue party was now being attacked from both ends as Axel cut through a Dusk. How the hell was he supposed to get the princes away if there was a battle coming from both directions?!

Now Riku really wished that he had a weapon as the Dusks began to gather in front of Axel; he could tell that they were going to eventually overwhelm the redhead and a few were going to escape. Suddenly Sora stepped up to his side, calling out. "Axel, Roxas and I can help! We still have our Keyblades!"

"Too dangerous!" Axel threw one chakram into the growing crowd of Dusks, there had to at least be two dozen of them, mowing down about seven of them before his weapon returned to his hand. "You haven't recovered yet."

"I say if they have weapons, let them fight." Riku countered. "You're not going to kill all of them before they reach us." _And I can't do anything_. He refused to say the rest of the sentence out loud. But it was true, and he wasn't going to stand around and get killed if the princes could offer any help.

Sora sent him a grateful smile, apparently he didn't understand that Riku said it mainly for self-preservation, as Axel gave in. "Fine. Help. But only take down the ones that I miss!"

With a nod, Sora stretched out his hand. Almost instantly a sword of sorts materialized against his palm, and as he grabbed onto the shape it solidified into what looked like a long key. Keyblade wasn't such a bad name after all then. He had pulled out his weapon just in time. One of the Dusks had managed to dance around Axel's deadly chakrams and was now tottering over to them, its dagger arms ready to strike.

Riku stepped back to give Sora some space, falling back in line with Roxas to see that he too was holding a keyblade, his expression darker than his brother's. Riku thought he understood. The kid probably had some feelings of anger and vengeance that he wanted to vent after Reno's death.

With the grace of undoubtedly years of practice, Sora swung forward, stabbing the Dusk in the chest with his blade. The Dusk disappeared into a cloud of dust as Sora pulled away just as two more Dusks slipped passed Axel's strike range. This time Roxas moved forward to take one down as Sora struck out again, both of them finishing off their attackers at the same time. Riku was vaguely impressed by the skills they were showing. It looked as if the princes actually knew how to fight. He wouldn't have guessed it. Sora at least seemed way too cheerful.

As Axel finished off another group of his own, Riku saw a gap in the wave of Dusks. There were only about four of them left, easy for Axel to finish off. Leon had said to get the princes away. A glance back at the lion showed that he and Cloud were still locked in combat with Saix and Larxene. It didn't look that either one of them were obviously winning, so the old plan probably still stood. Reaching out, he grabbed Sora's hand and Roxas's shoulder then pulled them passed Axel and the few Dusks that were left. "Come on, we're getting you two out of here."

Both Sora and Roxas looked as if they were about to protest but Axel had heard Riku and spoke up before they could get a word out. "Go to the Southern courtyard, the place we first came in, hide in there until we come to get you. If we don't come, get out of here on your own! I'll help Cloud and Leon after I'm through with these guys."

"Wait, Axel!" Roxas tried to hold back but Riku pulled him along down the hall, away from the fighting. Riku didn't really care that the prince had taken a liking to the redhead. He was getting them to someplace safe.

Sora seemed to share Riku's sentiments because he murmured softly to his brother. "Roxas, it'll be okay, they can handle this."

Roxas bit his lip but nodded after a second, allowing Riku to lead him down the hall and out of sight of the fight. Once they were out of visual range, Riku looked over at Sora. "Alright, which way is the Southern courtyard?"

Roxas scowled as Sora let out a quiet laugh despite the situation. "I know where it is. Follow me." Still clasping onto Riku's hand, Sora took the lead now, pulling them down new twisting hallways. Every so often a Dusk would pop out of the walls, on the way to the bigger fight perhaps. Roxas, apparently still irritated at having been taken away from the fight too soon, would quickly cut it down before it seemed to know what had hit it.

In this way, they quickly reached a courtyard which Riku recognized as the once which they had been in when they had come into the palace. There was the sewer cover that they had come out of. Dropping Sora's hand, he quickly walked over to it as the prince looked around the area. "What did Axel mean when he told us to come here?"

"He meant that we're leaving the palace." With a grunt, Riku dragged the drain cover to the side. "How do you think we came in, through the main door?"

Sora looked at Roxas, the two of them showing equal surprise and slight trepidation in their expressions before Sora shrugged and walked over to him. "I guess it kept you from being caught for so long. Is it-?"

"It's clean enough." Wiping his hands on his pants to get rid of the dirt that had been stuck to the drain cover, Riku straightened up. As he did, he happened to glance over at the courtyard entrance, his face immediately paling when he saw Larxene standing in the archway. Somehow she had managed to break away from the fight. "Shit."

When she saw that she had his attention, Larxene smirked. "Lucky me, I managed to catch up to you before you slipped away with the rain water. Now hand them over before I get angry."

Riku clenched his fist as Sora and Roxas readied their keyblades, taking a step forward. "I usually don't respond well to threats."

She shook her head with a smile. "It wasn't a threat. More like a warning. This is a threat."

Larxene launched forward, three blades suddenly clutched between her fingers. She swiped at him with her artificial claws. Riku just barely managed to fall to the side, hearing the air he had just occupied crackle with static charge, using the opportunity as he fell to kick out. His foot caught her side, pushing her away, giving him just enough distance to call back to the princes, "In the drain! Now!"

Sora and Roxas obeyed without question, Riku tumbling in after them not a heartbeat before Larxene sent a shock of electricity where his head just was. Landing in the water with a splash, he shook out his wet hair as Sora heaved him to his feet. It was just as cold as he had remembered it being. All three of them looking up to see Larxene standing triumphantly above. "Well, well, well, this seems just about right, doesn't it? You guys are nothing but sewer rats. And the best part is," she flicked out her fingers to reveal another knife, sparks already springing across its small surface, "is that water is very conductive."

Damn it. Of course she was right. Riku swallowed his panic, not allowing it to show on his face but damn it, he should have realized that they would be in a much worse position now. Even if they ran for the exit, which they couldn't do because the ceiling of the underground tunnel was so frickin' low, the electrical current would still carry through and hit all of them.

"What's it going to be, kid? Are you going to hand them over or am I going to quick fry all of you?"

Shit. What should he do? Was he really going to die here, defeated because he had forgotten basic physics?

_I can save you._

And to top it off, Xehanort's heartless was back. Terrific. His voice wasn't the last thing he wanted to hear.

_It's either listen to me or die. I think we'd both prefer the first option. After all, if you die, it's not exactly in my best interests either._

Riku felt himself giving in to the other's infallible logic. He had a point. Death wasn't preferable.

_Good. Raise your hands. I'll help you channel your dark magic, just say what I tell you to._

Apparently impatient with Riku's lack of response as he waged an internal battle, Larxene finally scowled. "Fine. If you've got nothing to say, I'll have to go with the second plan and just kill you all then!"

Riku grimaced, bracing himself as he threw his arms up just as Larxene pulled her hand back to throw the knife down into the drain. Before he realized what was happening, words broke passed his lips; he barely even comprehended that he was saying it. "_Dark Shield!_"

A semi-transparent black circle erupted from the palm of his outstretched hand as a burst of power shot up his arm, the disc rushing out on all sides just fast enough to rebuff the knife as it flew down. The dagger bounced off of the shield, clattering on the ground of the courtyard above them. Riku was surprised that he could actually physically feel the dagger come into contact with the shield. It was like the thing was an extension of his own body, its surface rippling to repair the damage done by the strike.

Larxene let out a strained shriek of rage at the sight of the shield, the scowl twisting her feminine features into something far more sadistic even after the disc of black light disappeared as quickly as it had come. "How dare you?!"

"Hey, you were the one trying to electrocute us!" Riku threw back, "How dare _you_ try that on _us_?" He knew he shouldn't taunt her, especially when the shield had so quickly disappeared after being used, but right now he didn't really care. He had just used magic. He really wanted to know what Axel would say to that little trick.

"Larxene, get away from there!"

Speak of the devil, Axel's voice just echoed out from outside in the courtyard. A second later, Larxene jumped to the side as a burst of fire roared over the drain, the orange glow momentarily lighting up the interior of the tunnel below. Not a moment later, Axel was forcing his way down into the drain, followed by Leon and Cloud, Leon a little less gracefully than the other two. As soon as they hit the water, Cloud grabbed Leon's arm and slung it over his shoulder. Seeing Sora and Roxas's concerned gazes, he explained curtly, "Larxene caught him in the shoulder with one of her knifes. He's still shaking the charge off." He shouldn't have been talking. His outfit was slashed in several places, blood stains just visible in the dim light of the drain tunnel. It must have been a nearly-matched battle then, even three against two.

Leon grunted out some protest that he was really fine but no one seemed to buy it as Axel pushed Roxas and Sora into the tunnel. "We'll tell stories later. Its time to run before Larxene gets the courage to follow us."

With an adrenaline that hadn't been present the first time they had navigated through the tunnel, the group quickly made their way through. The lowest points caused slight trouble and slowed them down a bit but before Riku knew it he could smell the cool, crisp air of the outside world. Then he was diving under the grate and popping out on the other side free from the palace.

Axel cut his relief short though, speaking up as soon as he had also passed under the grate. "We're not out of trouble yet. I think we're just going to have to make a run for covered ground and hope the guards don't shoot down at us."

The plan sounded easier than it actually was. Out in the open, they were forced to break out into a full sprint for the cover of the far-away bushes as shouts rang out from the castle wall. Riku swore that he heard the command to aim when they were just halfway across the open field; whether the guards were equipped with bows or guns, he didn't really care. Both were bad.

The call to fire came. Riku had readied himself to feel the pain of a volley of arrows but when none fell around them, he risked a chance to look back while running to see that the arrows had been stopped by two colossal water figures standing between their retreading forms and the palace walls. Demyx.

Up ahead, the water god himself lifted out of a bush and waved them over frantically while his other hand clutched onto his sitar. "Come on! I can only keep up clones that size for so long!"

Riku felt an extra burst of speed well up inside him and everyone else as they increased their pace even further. He was surprised though when Axel ran right passed his blond friend, the redhead calling out over his shoulder. "We're going to need a better hiding spot than this, Dem! We're running until we can't run anymore!"

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	10. Chapter 10

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Woot! We breached 150 reviews! Totally cool, dudes! I salute you. Seriously, that's pretty awesome. I don't have too much else to say for this chapter. My school's getting into final season, so that probably means I'll be looking to procrastinate more. Of course I do have essays to write. We'll see what side wins out. Oh, and just to mention, all these spirits don't really have fixed ages (they've kinda got long life spans), but you can imagine Roxas somewhere around 13 and Sora about 16. Axel's like…18 or 19 (he did manage to blend into high school after all). Leon and Cloud are young adults. Riku's about 17. So, yeah, fyi, just throwing it out there, not that it'll matter too much for this story.

Anyway, enough of my rambles. Thanks very much to my reviewers: A-chan, Aindel S. Druida, Twilight-Oblivion, Kujari, Ivy J., ramen-is-my-goddess, CloudedMirror, 73n5Hl, andhearts, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, Chaotic Darkness, xXCakeIsTheOnlyTruthXx, Tangerine342, FlurryDivider, Randomasdf, Purple Sox, XfallenXshadowX. Thanks again! Any all reviews are loved and cherished! ^^

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Chapter 10

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They hadn't stopped running until they reached Demyx's swamp. Breaks had been few and far between, initiated only when someone demanded rest. Riku at least, was happy to see that he wasn't the only one who had been run ragged from the pace. In fact, the only ones that hadn't called out for a pause in their run had been Leon and Cloud. But they were freakishly enduring.

Even Axel had once or twice given in to his exhaustion, although Riku half-suspected that Axel had once called for a rest on Roxas's behalf. The princes were understandably still a little unsteady on their feet. After being locked up for so long they had to get back into shape. But they managed to do so surprisingly quickly, faster than Riku could have managed anyway.

Riku wasn't really even sure if they were still being followed, or if Larxene or Saix had followed them outside the palace at all. He hadn't found a good time to question Leon or Cloud about it. Whenever they stopped he fell asleep as soon as he laid down and while they were moving he was too occupied with watching out for Heartless. The black creatures had seemingly grown in numbers since they had last been through the area. They were probably attracted to the elemental light that was coming from the princes. Their presence had definitely made an impact on the world as a whole though; every morning, the sun would attempt to rise in the sky now, the sky for a few moments turning rosy orange with dawn. The first time it had happened, only a few hours after they had made their escape, it had been quite a shock. Riku found that he was actually able to see in front of him for a few moments before the world was thrown back into darkness. But the fact that dawn had come had raised everyone's spirits, even Riku's despite its fleeting nature. At the very least, he would be able to finally keep track of the time better.

But the hint of dawn only seemed to encourage the Heartless swarming toward them. Maybe they sensed that Sora and Riku were the cause of the hint of light and were out to hunt the princes down. The black creatures were larger in size now too, and Riku found he more and more frequently had to see someone in their group get injured; sometimes getting even seriously hurt. Even he could tell that they were beginning to run out of stamina, that the "_Cure_" spells were coming out more strained. Even he had been scratched badly a few times, even with Xehanort's Heartless whispering spells of "_Dark Shield_" into his ear, and even after the healing spells he found that he could still feel some of the aches.

Sora and Roxas, despite the fact that they had been asleep for so long, were fighting admirably well. They still weren't allowed to attack the main body of the enemies with Leon, Cloud, and Axel, but they defended the group with well-trained skills. Roxas especially was rather vicious with his Keyblade, showing no mercy to those Heartless which attacked either him or his brother. Riku figured that it was the kid's way of coping with things, and he noticed that Axel allowed the younger prince to vent as much as he wanted.

In any case, it had been a tough journey to Demyx's swamp with little food or rest, everything mixing together into a blurry, anxious rush.

Riku had never been so happy to see any sight before as he was when Demyx's treehouse peeked into their view through clusters of massive swamp trees after about an hour of picking their way through the marshlands. He had never imagined that one place could seem so comforting.

Demyx, who had been as tense as everyone else in their party, finally broke into a grin, the water god apparently fully recovering his mood at the sight of his house. "Yay! We made it! This place is completely defendable, no one's getting in here without me knowing. And best of all, none of us died on the trip here!"

For the first time in days, Axel actually cracked a smile, running a hand through his red spikes. "Way to set your standards low, Dem."

"It's the best way to not be disappointed!" The water god chirped, his attention turning down to Sora. Not surprisingly, the two bubbly characters had quickly found each other out and they had fast become friends. "I can't wait to show you everything we've talked about, Your Highness. You're totally going to love my water fountains, before all of this happened I had just managed to get some of them to float up against gravity and carry different colors!"

"They sound so fun, I can't wait to see them." Riku rolled his eyes. He half-wished there was a threat of constant danger looming over them again; he could already tell that the relaxed situation was going to lead to annoying, and much too happy, conversations. He supposed that it was better though, seeing Sora somewhat chipper again. The condition of the countryside had been a heavy blow to the prince, and to Roxas as well. The towns they passed hit especially hard, their broken husks sending Sora into a quick and wallowing depression. But it looked as if Sora was slowly accepting it and moving forward. That was good.

"Hold it. Quiet." Leon's cold voice cut through any spark of happiness, the lion spirit's face tense as he looked ahead. Like everyone else, Riku tensed. Damn. He shouldn't have wished for danger again so lightly. Once he knew he had everyone's attention, Leon continued. "There's someone in your house."

Demyx's gaze snapped up to his treehouse, his blue eyes widening. "What?! No way! I can't sense a thing!"

Cloud sniffed the air then nodded. "Leon's right. Someone is there."

"What do we do?" Sora asked in a whisper, his hand falling protectively on Roxas's shoulder.

"They might not know that we're here yet," Axel murmured, motioning for everyone to follow him to stay out of sight behind a tree. "So we might have the element of surprise. Cloud, Dem, go see who it is. Sound an alarm if it's someone unfriendly and we can get the princes out of here."

Both blonds nodded before slipping off into toward the house. As they left, Riku turned to Axel, making sure to keep his voice to a whisper. "Why send Demyx?"

"Dem knows these woods better than anyone. If he can't stay hidden in them than it's impossible. Besides, it's his house. He's got the right to know who's inside it without his permission."

Riku couldn't argue with that, so he remained hunkered down next to the redhead behind the tree. Leon and Axel had maneuvered the princes to stand between them, and as the tense seconds rolled by, Riku felt a soft hand touch his arm. Turning his head slightly, he saw Sora lean in closer to him. The shorter teen frowned lightly. "I had thought we had made such good time…"

"We don't know if they're from the palace or not." Riku murmured back. "But even if they are, it's not as if we could have tried any harder." That was true at least, he hadn't just said it to make Sora feel better. If they had taken any fewer breaks, or had tried to run faster, then someone would have suffered from the stress. And Riku was fairly sure that he would have been one of them.

Sora nodded slowly then clenched his fist nervously. Riku had noticed it was a nervous habit of both princes' actually, perhaps part of them was wishing for the comforting feel of their sword in their hand when they felt anxious.

Just as Riku was beginning to fall into the lull of inaction, Demyx suddenly popped out from around the tree trunk. Axel jumped and let out a sharp shout of alarm which caused Leon to whip around with his gunblade raised. Before the lion could fire off a shot, Demyx threw his hands into the air, waving them quickly. "Whoa, whoa! Don't shoot!"

Axel snapped out a hand to grab Demyx's ear, pulling the yelping water god close. "What the hell, Dem?! We could have seriously hurt you!"

"Sorry, sorry! I forgot that you guys would be so tense! Please let my ear go!"

With a snort, Axel dropped his hand. "What do you mean, 'you forgot that we'd be so tense?' What's up with your house?"

"Oh, yeah, it's great! Luxord's visiting!"

"What?"

Riku perked up as Axel's expression darkened. He had wanted to talk to Luxord again. The man had been strange and annoying at the time, but now that he knew more, Riku wanted a second look at him. Just to see what he had missed the first time around. Smirking at Axel's expression, clearly the redhead had something against the other man, Riku sauntered out from behind the tree and toward the tree house, Demyx bouncing along happily behind him. Nearing the house, he saw that Luxord's gypsy wagon had indeed been pulled up along the large tree, the view of it blocked from the massive trunk's width. The man himself was sitting on the step up to the wagon's interior, one leg propped jauntily on the other, arms draped over them and fingers laced together. When he saw Riku walking toward him, he returned the younger's smirk. "Ah, young Riku, fancy meeting you here. How have things been?"

"Not great."

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. But you seem healthy enough to me, at least missing no limbs." His light blue eyes suddenly sparked with some emotion and he stood up to bow respectfully. "Your Majesties, so good to see you alive and well."

Riku turned to see Sora and Roxas coming up tentatively behind him, Leon walking close to them as Axel shuffled along further behind. Smiling, Sora walked up to stand beside Riku. "Thank you. I hear we've been gone for a while. I hope things haven't been too hard on you."

"Not at all Your Majesty, I thrive in uncertain times. Although I admit to being relieved to see the two of you survived. Plus the idea of ending this infernal unending night is rather appealing."

Having approached Luxord, Leon looked around then sniffed the air. His eyes suddenly narrowed and his sword clanked as he gripped its hilt threateningly, moving in front of Sora to block him from Luxord's view. "What have you done with Cloud?"

Luxord raised a pale blond eyebrow, looking at Leon critically before he motioned to the door of his wagon with a wave of his hand. "He's socializing with my guest at the moment. No need to be so quick for your weapon, I've spelled my mobile house with a quick '_Vanish,_' so his scent's been masked from the outside. It's also why Demyx wasn't able to sense it when you lot first arrived." He stood up, opening the way to the door. "But your Cloud's perfectly fine. Go ahead and see for yourself if you'd like, I'm sure that the princes would also be very much interested at who's inside."

With a soft growling huff, Leon walked up to the door, hand still on his sword as he pulled the door open though. Instead of an enemy though, the open door revealed Cloud sitting next to Aerith. The woman blinked as Cloud turned to the open door. "Oh, Squall, is that you?"

Leon stood surprised for a moment then dipped into a bow, "Your Highness." Straightening up, he hesitated for a second more, clearly thrown off by her presence, before shuffling to the side to reveal the two princes to their mother.

At the sight of Sora and Roxas, Aerith gasped, her skirt rushing up around her as she stood up. "Sora? Roxas?!" Riku saw a flash of brown as Sora rushed forward, Roxas only half a step behind him as they ran to Aerith. She caught them with a teary laugh, wrapping her arms around both of them as they clung to her. "My babies, I'm so happy you're alright! And look how you've grown!"

Even though Riku couldn't see Sora and Roxas's faces, he knew they were happy. The two teens were glowing against their mother, lighting up the interior of the wagon with a light as bright as the noonday. Finally pulling away from the embrace just long enough to talk, Sora spoke up. "Are you alright, Mom?"

Roxas joined his brother's concerns. "Where have you been living? Has anyone come to hurt you?"

"I am fine." Aerith smiled gently, kissing the top of both of their heads, "Cloud has been taking good care of me. And no one has hurt me. Luxord came to my glen a few days ago and brought be here."

Outside of the wagon and happy family reunion, Luxord shrugged casually when he saw Riku's inquisitive gaze. "The cards told me to escort Her Majesty here, so who was I to argue? Now of course it all makes sense, but I've learned long ago to simply obey the fates and ask no questions."

"Are you sure the fates told you to stay here with the queen?" Axel grumbled, his arms crossed as he approached Luxord and Riku. "Couldn't you have just dropped her off?"

"Now, Now, Axel, you're not still sore about that bet we made all those years back, are you?"

Axel frowned, "Look, Luxord. I've got nothing against you, but those damn cards are a nuisance. I don't want to see them out with the royal family here."

Luxord held his hands up. "I'll be good and not tempt fate for a few hours unless compelled. Besides, I will be leaving soon enough. I'm a wanderer by nature, so you needn't be worried about me sticking around past my welcome."

"Aw, but you're so fun to have around, Luxord!" It was Demyx who had spoken up as he bustled out of his house holding a tray full of cups and a kettle. "Tea?"

"Thank you, Demyx. You're quite enjoyable company as well." As Luxord took a cup of tea, he sent a smirk in Axel's direction.

Axel only rolled his eyes at the other's antics then looked over to Leon. "So, what are we going to do now?"

The lion spirit frowned thoughtfully, crossing his arms as he watched the royal family catching up with each other from the corner of his steel-grey eyes. "I can't really say. I think for the moment, as much as I don't like it, we will have to lie low until tensions settle down. And this seems like an adequate place to stay, it has good defense and we have both water and food from the fish in the marshes." A low rumble rose in the back of his throat, "I don't like it here, but we have to stay."

Riku tilted his head to the side. Leon almost looked like the lion he was, ready to pace about the small area of land. Riku could imagine that as a lion spirit, and having lived in the palace so long, Leon probably wasn't used to the great overhanging trees, wet atmosphere, and so much water. He was better suited for the open fields they had just been running through, where he could see everything around them. Perhaps sensing the other animal spirit's discomfort, Cloud got out of the wagon a moment later and padded over to the lion. Leon let out a sigh, lowering his head a little as he lightly sniffed the other's neck. As strange as it looked, it seemed to quickly calm Leon down.

Riku nearly jumped when a hand slapped his back and he twisted around to see Axel grinning back at him with his usual cocky smirk. "So it sounds like we're staying here for a bit. I think it's time to claim our rooms. There are only so many rooms in the tree house you know. Three bedrooms in fact. Three small rooms."

Riku stared at Axel for a second then quickly walked toward the tree house. If he was going to have to sleep with an uncertain number of people, he was going to make sure that he was at least in the largest room.

As it turned out, Riku found himself in the largest room, but stuck with Axel and Demyx. He supposed that it really wasn't too surprising; Sora, Roxas, and the queen were sharing a room, and no one really wanted to share a room with Leon and Cloud. Even Demyx knew that there was something intimate between them. Besides, the lion and wolf got stuck up on the highest floor in the smallest room, which neither of them was really happy about, but at least they got a room together.

Things in Demyx's marsh within a week's span turned into what Riku supposed some would have considered an idyllic life after Luxord's cards told him it was time to move on. With Aerith's added presence, it seemed as if some kind of family had actually been constructed. The queen really was a kind person, and when he finally stumbled down the stairs in the morning, he would find her and Demyx near the stove and sink, making either breakfast or lunch, depending on when he came down. Other then that, she seemed content to have pleasant conversations with any of them. She had also started a small flower garden at the side of the tree house which Demyx was ecstatic about. He said it brought a spark of life to his swamp. It added a bit of color anyway.

Cloud and Leon were constantly training, or patrolling the boundaries of the marshes, in order to keep themselves busy. Cloud still forced Riku to train with them, the wolf switching out his sword for a practice stick before he tracked Riku down. Despite all of the sore muscles, bruises, and shallow cuts that came from the rough training, Riku was proud to say that he was slowly improving. He was finally able to block Cloud's initial attack, having learned that it was better just to try and sense the rush rather than actually try to find it with his eyes. Looking for the blond man took too much time. Riku had even managed to land one hit on the other's arm; an incredibly relieving moment for him.

In actuality, Riku found himself enjoying the training now that his body was somewhat more conditioned. It kept him occupied at least, the rest of the days filled with a sort of forced lazy vacation. He hadn't told anyone yet, but when he had nothing to do, Xehanort's Heartless would come to the front of his consciousness. It was like having an annoying, silver-tongued friend who just wouldn't go away. Most of the time the dark parasite would simply talk of random things, harmless despite his harsh view of the others in the group, but there were other times when he whispered questions that always gave Riku a headache. Why hadn't Riku been given a weapon yet? Why was he still stuck in this depressing, dark world? He had freed the princes, hadn't there been some sort of bargain that he would have been able to go home? Clearly the others were liars; too scared of him to give him a weapon, too paranoid to let him go home.

Sometimes just to shut Xehanort's Heartless up, Riku would go to Cloud and demand a sparring match.

After one such match, he found himself returning to the treehouse with Cloud only to find Axel apparently sulking by the edge of the water as the princes sparred amongst themselves not too far away. Snorting, Riku dropped down next to the redhead as Cloud continued on into the house, taking the opportunity to dip into the water to wash his sweaty arms and neck. He had learned a few days ago that this water was the same which ran through the homemade pipes in the treehouse, so he was a little less wary about using it to clean now. "What's the matter with you?"

Axel sighed, his acid green eyes drifting over to Sora and Roxas. "Nothing concerning you, just thinking."

"This is about Roxas, isn't it?"

Axel turned to look down at him. His expression wasn't hostile, but it was guarded. Riku considered it an improvement from when he had first came to this world though. The fact that they could actually have a decent conversation now was also very telling. Riku was happy to note that as time passed, Axel was slowly warming back up to him. "Yeah. I've tried to give the kid time to get over Reno's death, but I don't think I can wait much longer. He's going to need a Guardian, and the position is mine, but with everything that had happened, I can't find the right time to bring it up."

"Don't be such a coward. Just talk to him."

"Don't try and give me advice. You just got your position as Guardian dropped in your lap."

Rolling his eyes, Riku shook his silver hair out of his eyes as he leaned down to wash his face. "And I feel _so_ lucky to be in charge of some happy-go-lucky kid's well being."

Axel frowned down at him. "Hey, you've got the second most important position in this world except for the Crown Prince himself. Don't slight it. Besides, Prince Sora is a really good kid, he practically adores you. You're lucky he's not some pampered, spoiled brat who hates you just as much as you hate him."

Hate was probably too strong a word to describe his feelings toward Sora, but Riku didn't bother to correct Axel. It was more that he had been avoiding the older prince all together, keeping him just within visual range for most of the day. Sora made him uncomfortable; both because of the unwanted responsibility he represented and the still-present protective fire which burned in his chest whenever he was out of sight. Riku didn't want to feel that tied down to one person. Looking over at Axel though, it was clear that the redhead badly wanted to be Roxas's Guardian. Riku let out a breath then shook the excess water from his hands and stood up. "If you're really that nervous, then I guess I'll have to help you out. Anything to stop your stupid moping." Raising his voice, he called out, "Sora, come over here for a second!"

The two princes stopped their sparring as Sora looked over at Riku and Axel with a surprised expression. Then he broke into a smile and after a quick word to Roxas, who had looked less pleased at Riku's order, ran over to them. "Yes, Riku?"

Riku sat back down beside the bank of the marsh, patting the ground beside him. "Hang out with me for a few minutes. Axel," He motioned to Axel with a wave of his hand. "Get moving while the kid's alone."

Axel scowled but nonetheless stood up, brushing his pants off nervously. As he walked away, Sora tilted his head to the side. "What's going on?"

Smirking, Riku looked down at him after Sora had gracefully sat down next to him. "Axel's going to go offer to be Roxas's Guardian."

"Really?" Sora's face lit up with a bright smile, glancing excitedly at Roxas as Axel approached his younger brother before turning back to Riku. "Thank you. You don't know what it means to know that Roxas will have someone to look after him again. He's been really lonely ever since we've woken up."

"And Axel was worried about Roxas saying no."

Sora shook his head quickly. "He won't say no. He might not seem like it, but Roxas needs someone to be there for him. He's had time to mourn for Reno, to accept what happened." Sora frowned a little, glancing up at Riku, his blue eyes serious. "I know that sounds cruel to say, but we're not safe right now. Not really anyway. I don't want Roxas to be without the protection of a Guardian any longer. Even Roxas probably knows that he's had his time. A prince can't afford to be without his personal guard." His voice drifted off for a moment before he switched to a more positive tone. "Besides, I think he likes Axel, even from back before the palace was overthrown."

"Really?"

Sora nodded. "Reno…he talked about Axel a lot, and Roxas would always listen when the topic came up." He turned his head to glance over at his brother again only to let out a small noise. "Oh! I think Axel's asking him right now!"

Riku turned to see Axel kneeling in front of a surprised Roxas, the redhead's lips moving with a quick desperation, his words not reaching where they sat. To Riku it looked like Axel was proposing to marry Roxas instead of to be his guard. Whatever Axel said though, Roxas's blue eyes widened before he suddenly blushed and swung his hand out toward Axel's face. Next to Riku, Sora gasped at the attack before Axel caught the clenched fist, using the young prince's momentum to pull him down into a kiss on the lips. As soon as their lips touched, a bright light flooded the area. Blocking his eyes from the glare with an arm, Riku looked down at Sora only to see that the other teen was gone. He felt momentary panic until he realized that Sora was running toward the receding glow. With a sigh, he got up to follow the teen, still keeping his arm up to shade his eyes from the light. It hurt to look at directly, even his body was prickling from how bright it was.

By the time he made it to them, the explosion of light had faded away and Sora was holding onto his brother's arm as Roxas scowled at Axel, a red blush staining his cheeks. "I said no!"

Axel smirked, all too happy with himself. "You didn't mean it."

"I did mean it! I don't need a Guardian."

"Yes you do." It was Sora who had spoken up, the older prince tightening his hold on the seething Roxas. "And Axel has right to the position by blood. You're not really mad." He turned to Axel with an apologetic smile. "He's not really mad."

"Don't tell me how I feel, Sora! I am mad! He forced the fealty kiss from me, I didn't actually accept it!"

Axel tilted his head to the side, his smirk softening to something more soothing. "Hey, if you hadn't wanted it, there wouldn't have been any light to seal the deal. I'm your Guardian now, because you accepted my oath, here." He poked Roxas's chest over his heart.

Riku didn't think it was possible, but Roxas's blush deepened. The young teen paused in his tirade, his chest heaving from strung out emotions before he suddenly fell back against Sora, his angry frown turning sad. "It shouldn't have been that easy…" he murmured, burying his face into Sora's shirt. "I shouldn't have accepted him so quickly."

Axel let out a breath as Sora pet Roxas's blond spikes tenderly. "It's okay, Roxas. Reno would have wanted it this way, for both you and Axel to be happy, and for you to be safe."

"Besides," Axel chuckled dryly, "I had to become your Guardian, if for nothing else than for my brother. He would have kicked my ass already if he had seen how long I've waited to swear fealty to you." His smile weakened and he reached out to touch Roxas's arm gently. "Sorry for jumping it on you like that though."

Roxas shook his head, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand before he pulled away from Sora. He was clearly trying to gather his thoughts and at the same time appear somewhat dignified. "No, it's alright. I…shouldn't have tried to hit you. And…I wasn't, I'm not…mad that you did it. I'm not happy about the manner which you did it, but I don't mind, having a Guardian again. Not as much as I thought I would." He sighed then closed his eyes. "I'm tired, I'm going to take a nap." He took a few steps away from them then looked back over his shoulder. "Is my new Guardian too lazy to make sure that I get safely to my room?"

Axel raised his head then smiled and shook his head, following after the small blond. "Not quite that lazy, no."

As they walked into the treehouse, Sora let out a small sigh then murmured. "I'm happy for Roxas. I think this will make him happy too."

Frowning, Riku crossed his arms. "What was up with the kiss?"

"Oh. That's standard noble practice, for sealing oaths. For Guardians anyway. For other noble matters, a kiss on the cheek or hand is fine." He glanced up at Riku from the corner of his eyes, adding shyly. "You kissed me, back when you became my Guardian."

Riku's attention snapped down to the shorter teen. "What?"

"We were just kids, so it didn't really matter. And it was just for the ceremony, but you still did."

Riku didn't know how to react to this information. Once again, he had no memory of it himself. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't even imagine what the event would have looked like. It was so irritating.

_Poor little dark one. So confused. But you can't do anything about lost memories. Unless you can convince the spirit who erased them to return them to you, there's really nothing you can do about it._

Xehanort's Heartless. He didn't need this right now; he already had a headache.

_I should be offended. But I won't be, because no one else here seems to care that you can't remember anything, they're too busy with their own problems to care about you anymore. Not even your little prince has filled you in on any of the details._

He hadn't bothered to ask Sora about it.

_Nonetheless, they haven't done much for you yet. After everything you've sacrificed, you'd think they could act a little grateful. They should have more than enough power now to send you home after all, they've rested up long enough-_

"Riku!"

A hand on his cheek startled Riku from his internal debate with Xehanort's Heartless and he blinked his eyes to see Sora looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows and worried blue eyes.

"I knew I should have checked sooner," Sora murmured, apparently more to himself then to Riku, "Xehanort's Heartless has gained his power back. Can I help you with him?"

Riku nodded, somewhat surprised Sora had even bothered to ask as the prince began to emit a familiar bright glow. He could feel the chill of darkness thaw from his body, leaving him only what was his own dark energy as Xehanort's Heartless shrunk back into the shadows of his mind.

After a second, Sora lowered his hand from Riku's cheek, still frowning thoughtfully. "You're going to have to come to me more often. I could sense that he'd had strength for a long time. If you aren't careful he might start taking control of your body."

"He won't. I won't let him."

"Someday, you're not going to be left with a choice if we don't keep him balanced out by light energy." Sora argued back. Then, he stopped and bit his lip. Hesitating before he continued. "I don't want to see anything bad happen to you. It seems as if I already have to try and get to know you all over again, I don't want to lose you completely! When anyone has too much of one energy in them, even if it is their own, it can be dangerous. But you've got another mind in your head, Riku. What if he controls you or something?"

Riku looked away from the other's concerned gaze. "Like I said, he won't take control. I'd never let that happen. Besides, that's what you're here for, right? To make sure his darkness doesn't overwhelm me or whatever."

"Y-Yeah…"

With a frown, Riku reached up and ruffled Sora's spikes. If there was anything worse than a hyper Sora, it was a depressed Sora. "Hey, don't worry about it. Nothing bad has happened yet, and I still feel as in control as ever."

"Okay." Sora paused then reached up to touch Riku's hand with his own fingertips. "Thanks, Riku. For being so strong."

It was Riku's turn to pause. Then he caught himself and forced a smirk onto his lips. "It's nothing. Now let's get back inside and see what's for dinner. I'm starving."

By the time they got back into the house, all the candles and oil lamps were lighting the main room and dinner was indeed ready. The small dining table was too small, so like always, their large group overflowed onto the couches and chairs spread around. No one complained though. Riku noticed that Roxas was allowing Axel to sit next to him, the blond's hair mussed from his sleep as Axel chatted animatedly with Demyx beside him. Axel himself seemed to be in a great mood, the happy glow in the redhead's face not even leaving by the time Riku decided it was time for bed. He had decided it would be nice to turn in early; after all, now that Sora had pushed Xehanort's Heartless into silence for a while, it would be nice to get a little time alone to relax. He still wasn't used to the "happy family" feeling that everyone else seemed to emit.

Lying on the small bed that was squished into the room with two others, he sighed and covered his eyes with his arms. What he wouldn't give to be back home in his silk sheets. They felt like such a distant memory at this point. It had been weeks at least, since he had last been home. He could only wonder how much time had passed in his own world.

He fell asleep before either Axel or Demyx came back into the room but slept for only a few hours before something woke him up. Riku rubbed his eyes and propped himself up onto his elbows. He could just see Demyx and Axel's forms in the darkness of the bedroom, the steady rise and fall of their chests indicating that they were fast asleep. What had woken him up then?

_You're sensing something on the edge of this swamp. I can feel it as well. Someone is looking for you_.

Okay. There was something on the edge of the swamp. Riku rolled back in bed. He would deal with it later, now it was time for sleep. And yet…he couldn't get back to sleep. Xehanort's Heartless wasn't even keeping him awake, it was his own mind. Some part of him desperately wanted to know what that other presence was. And why were they looking for him? Letting out a soft growl, Riku finally gave in and slid out of bed. Having gone to bed in his only change of clothes, he slipped his shoes on then made his way downstairs as quietly as he could. Everyone else was probably asleep right now, and he was not in the mood to explain himself if one of the other's were to wake up and question what he was doing. So he slipped through the house like a shadow, thankful for the white noise of Demyx's innumerous fountains to cover any noises he did make as he crept outside.

Once he was out of the house, he took a breath of the cool, fresh air. Now, which way to go?

_The south._

At least one of them knew the right direction. He had only taken a few steps before a voice hit his ear from right behind him. "Jenovan."

Riku spun around, his shocked expression turning sour when he saw that it was only Leon. Putting his hand to his chest to calm his pounding heart, he let out a low curse. "Damn it, Leon. You didn't have to sneak up on me like that."

"Where are you going?"

"I couldn't sleep. I'm taking a walk." The lie came easily to his lips, after all, it was more half-truth than lie. He couldn't sleep and he was going for a walk, Leon didn't know that it was to check on a presence. And Riku didn't want to tell him.

Leon eyed him a moment then shrugged. "Whatever. Just don't stray too far. A handful of Heartless have been testing this swamp's boundaries."

"I can handle myself."

Leon frowned but didn't say anything more. He probably thought that Riku really couldn't handle himself. Eyes narrowing at the thought, Riku turned away from the lion spirit and continued on to the south. Why didn't anyone here think he was capable of taking care of himself? First Sora then Leon, in the same day even.

_If you had a weapon, they would respect you. And I could teach you more spells to work with. Of course you wouldn't need to learn them if they just let you go home._

It was like listening to a record repeat itself. Worse than how irritating it was, Riku could actually feel the other's words beginning to drive his own thoughts. If he didn't watch out, he was going to start obsessing over these things.

He was so deeply immersed in his own mind that he reached the edge of the swamp before he knew it. Beyond the swampland was the usual open, scraggly field, looking for all the world completely empty. Frowning, Riku took a step out from under the swamp tree's overhanging branches. As soon as he did, there was a massive rush of wind in front of him, picking up dead leaves and pieces of grass and whipping them about madly. Riku covered his face as the grass and leaves scratched his legs and arms.

When the wind finally died down and he had lowered his arms, a figure was standing about twenty feet in front of him. A black cloak shrouded the figure's identity completely, but Riku guessed by the size that it was a male. The voice confirmed it. "Riku Jenovan. I've come with a proposition for you."

Riku raised an eyebrow. Clearly this man worked for that Superior guy, the cloak was a dead giveaway. If he didn't play this right, things could become very bad for the others very fast. How had he even managed to find them? Internally wary, Riku adopted a casual air and crossed his arms. "I'm listening."

"My Master recognizes that you have great potential. He is willing to assume that you became part of this plot against your willpower and hopes, in honor of your father's legacy, to welcome you back in the palace with open arms."

"Really? He's going to take me in just like that?" Riku shifted a bit. "For some reason I doubt it's going to be that easy."

The hooded figure let out a low laugh. "Smart boy. In return for his leniency, my Master would only need a little bit of information; what you know about the gang of miscreants that stole his captives, for instance."

So they didn't know exactly where Demyx was hiding them in his swamp. Riku could imagine why, the canopy was so thick that it was impossible to see down into, and there was no way to sneak inside without Demyx knowing. Unless they had a Vanish spell like Luxord had. But Riku guessed that if they had been able to use a Vanish spell to sneak inside, then this guy wouldn't be trying to bribe him now. Right now, Riku had the upper hand. He had the information.

Smirking, Riku tilted his head to the side. "I don't know. I've got a pretty good life here. I don't really feel as if I require your Master's welcoming."

"There must be something you desire which these fools aren't providing you with."

Riku waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing that you'd be able to give me. All I want is a way out of this freak-show world, and I don't think that's going to happen no matter whose side I'm on."

"My Master could easily arrange your return back to the human world, if that is what you want."

Riku frowned, his gaze hardening as it rose to the figure's darkened face. "I've heard that promise before."

The cloaked figure chuckled as a soft breeze blew between them. "I'll make you another promise then. We'll get you back to your world, and only once you're back will we ask you for any information. You won't have to tell us a single thing before then and if the time comes that you change your mind and decide that you'd rather remain here with your little band of friends, we can forget the whole thing. What is your answer to that?"

Riku's eyes narrowed, his mind turning. He really had planned on saying no to this guy. But that…that was a very good offer. If this guy was telling the truth, it was a sort of win-win. He would be getting a definite ticket home, and he could just forget the entire thing ever happened. Just tell them what they want to know and go back to his regular life. That sounded nice. Or, if he decided he wanted to see this thing through, he could brush them off. He balanced the options in his head. Say no, or agree. He had been forced into this whole mess after all, he didn't really owe anyone anything…

With a frown, he looked down at his shoes after another moment of thought. "Let's say…that my answer…is a tentative yes to that plan."

"Excellent. Someone will contact you at a later time then." The figure turned to walk away only to twist half-way around as if struck by one last thought. Lifting his head, he turned his cloaked face back to Riku. "Ah yes, I was instructed to leave this behind for you. A token of the Superior's goodwill."

There was a rush of air and suddenly, something dropped out of the sky in front of Riku's feet. Something large and weighty. Startled, Riku jumped back a few steps then approached the item, leaning down over it. It was a sword.

The cloaked figure spoke up again as Riku warily reached out for it. "That is Soul Eater. It is a magic weapon, and so can be called into your hand with only a thought to summon it and only a thought sends it away to a place for safe-keeping."

The sword looked almost like a scimitar formed into a bat-wing shape. It looked rather ominous, but as he wrapped his fingers around the hilt, he felt a powerful energy run up his arm. And it didn't feel dangerous. It was as if the sword fit perfectly into his hand, its weight nearly nonexistent. A practice swing proved its smooth balance and arc. It was a good sword.

Riku looked up to ask the figure what he needed to do for it but the man was already gone, disappearing back into the darkness.

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	11. Chapter 11

I've come to realize that every time I put a chapter up, I get really nervous. Everything's cool until it's actually posted and then I'm all "Noou! What if it totally sucks?!" Seriously, it happens every time I write a chapter. Then over a week, I slowly get over the trauma and then I post another chapter. It's as if I enjoy giving myself anxiety attacks. ^^' You'd think I'd be used to this by now…

Anyway, totally sorry about taking so long on this, dudes. It's not much of an excuse, but I had to do major paper writing this week. Like, 50 pages of thoughtful in-depth analysis stuff! It was so scary! But, I managed to pull myself together for you guys and pump out another chapter. So uh…it's late, but it's here! Yay! ^^'

Thanks go to all those who reviewed for my last chapter: ramen-is-my-goddess, CloudedMirror, andhearts, Chronos Mephistopheles, Polish, Twilight-Oblivion, Aindel S. Druida, Dust to Dusk, Reno-is-a-Turk, japan_fan101, Chaotic Darkness, FlurryDivider, XfallenXshadowX, Ultima Eagle, 73n5Hl, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, Shinimegami7.

Oh, and side note to japan_fan101 (I feel compelled to answer and can't do so directly ^^'): I actually was referring to Soul Eater, and was basing my description off a reliable picture. I will feature Way to the Dawn as well, but my description's gonna be different. Can't say more than that though, 'cause that would be giving away some of the plot. ;)

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Chapter 11

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The first thing Riku was sure to do was to send the sword away. It was a strange feeling; one minute, the hilt of the sword was resting in his palm and the next, with only a thought, it vanished. He could still almost feel it though, like the ghost of its weight was still in his hand. He wondered if that was how it felt for Sora and Axel all the time.

But he had to get rid of it before he tried to go back to the tree house. There was no saying where Leon was, and Riku didn't want to reveal that he was now armed. Not yet. Right now it was his trump card. Plus…he was still had to think over what the cloaked man had told him, to see if he could recall any loopholes. He would have to weigh his choices.

Riku was glad that he had gotten rid of Soul Eater. He had only been walking back into the marsh for ten minutes when Leon suddenly appeared in front of him. Riku hadn't even heard the lion approach. He had just emerged from behind one of the massive trees, his hand on the hilt of his Gunblade. For a second, Riku tensed, thinking that maybe Leon had seen him talking to the cloaked man. What if he had heard their conversation?

Prepared for a fight to start out, Riku was relieved when Leon only frowned lightly, the spirit's hand relaxing from his weapon as he straightened up from his defensive position. "I thought I told you to not to go close to the edge of the forest."

Sniffing, Riku relaxed his guard as well. So Leon hadn't seen him then. "I can handle myself. Obviously I'm not hurt, am I?"

"Don't be so confident." Leon's voice was surprisingly sharp. "Only a fool would go into dangerous territory without any way to defend himself." When Riku didn't respond, the lion let out a small sigh of exasperation. "Come on. I'll walk you back to Demyx's place."

Riku went with him. There wasn't any reason to decline the offer, he was going back to the tree house anyway. Walking back with Leon was strange though. He didn't feel guilty, after all, it wasn't as if he had already sold the others out, but it seemed odd that Leon didn't know something was wrong. It was almost as if he had expected that Leon, the person who had up to this point seemed to know everything, would know somehow that he had spoken with the enemy. He was a little disappointed when the man seemed to be completely unaware.

The walk was silent as they picked their way through the marshes and underbrush. After a while, the pink glow of sunrise touched the top leaves of the trees, just a bit of the warmth filtering through to where the two of them walked. It was the few minutes of dawn they got every day. Riku hadn't been aware that he had been gone for that long.

By the time they made it back to the tree house, the small bit of light had set into darkness again and a soft glow shone out of the first floor windows. When they went inside, Riku saw Demyx cutting up some vegetables by the sink; getting ready for breakfast no doubt.

At the sound of the door opening, Demyx raised his head from his work, his eyes brightening. "Oh. Hey, guys! What were you doing outside?"

"Went for a walk."

"Patrol."

Riku frowned after he and Leon had answered at the same time. Crossing his arms, he looked away. "I'm going to go upstairs and sleep for a bit more."

"Sleep?" Demyx chuckled lightly, "The sun's already come and gone. It's daytime now, time for breakfast."

"I'm not really hungry." Demyx frowned at the reply but didn't say anything as Riku went upstairs. Axel was waking up when Riku got to their room, the redhead running a hand through his long spiky hair as he squinted up at Riku. "Ugh. Don't tell me you woke up before me."

Riku frowned, sitting down on the edge of his bed as he leaned over to take off his shoes. "I woke up way before you. And now I'm going back to bed."

Axel clicked his tongue then sat up, blearily reaching for his shirt which he had thrown on the floor the night before. "How antisocial can you get? What are you trying to be, a vampire or something?"

Riku froze, his fingers at his shoelaces. A vampire? That was what he had called his brothers. Staying up all night, sleeping all day. He was starting to copy his brothers, just like he had wanted. So why wasn't he enjoying himself more?

Pursing his lips, Riku brushed the thought aside and kicked off his shoes. He would think about all of this later in the afternoon. Right now he was too tired to think right. Staying up all night talking to strange cloaked men and walking through marshes was too exhausting.

As it turned out, the rest of the house only allowed him to sleep in for a few hours. First of all, it was a small house. People were moving around upstairs in the other bedrooms, and downstairs in the main room. Unlike his mansion back home, it was full of life and noise. People kept thundering past the room to go up or downstairs, and every so often, Demyx or Axel would come into the room and rustle noisily around. What did they not understand about him wanting to sleep? A few hours after he had tried to go back to bed, Demyx came into the room again, whistling a tune. Growling from his bed, Riku finally gave up trying to sleep and sat up with a scowl. "Demyx! Do you mind?!"

"Oh, Riku! I thought you were asleep."

"Who the hell could sleep when everyone is making so much damn noise!" Throwing his blankets off, Riku rolled up into a sitting position and ran his fingers through his hair, his mood darkening as he carded through some tangles. "You guys are horrible. I couldn't even sleep for ten minutes without waking up from some sound."

Demyx winced then chuckled nervously. "Yeah. But that's what you get for trying to sleep in late when you live with seven other people I guess!" Walking closer over to Riku, Demyx leaned down. "Lunch is almost ready, if you're interested. Aerith and I worked really hard on it. Sora also helped out. He's a surprisingly good cook for a prince!"

Riku rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand then stood up. "I guess I'm not going to get any more sleep anyway..."

"Probably not. Let's go before all the food's gone!"

Frowning, Riku nonetheless followed Demyx down stairs. The rest of the group was already crowded downstairs around the kitchen area. Still feeling slightly groggy, Riku grabbed a plate and got in line, jolting a little in surprise when Sora came up close beside him. "Riku, you're awake."

"Yeah…"

Sora grinned at the response. "Well, maybe not completely awake, right? Here, give me your plate and find somewhere to sit. I'll get our food."

Riku blinked down at him then smiled a little and nodded. "Sure." After giving his plate to Sora, he walked over to the couch in the sitting room. It only took a few moments for Sora to walk over with two plates full of fish and vegetables. Those were the main staples of their diet, but it kept Riku dryly amused to see how they tried to make it a little more exciting as the days went by. Taking the plate from Sora, he murmured his thanks as the prince sat down next to him.

"Are you okay, Riku?"

"Hm?" Riku turned to see Sora looking at him with curious blue eyes.

"Leon just mentioned that you had stepped out for a while last night. I was just wondering if there was anything wrong?"

Riku smirked at the other's concerned expression. It was a cute face. Balancing his plate in one hand, he reached over to ruffle Sora's hair. "Nothing's wrong. Don't worry. Sometimes it's just nice to have some quiet alone time, you know?"

"Not really, it seems like I'm always around people!"

Riku glanced over to see Sora smiling. That's right, Sora was a prince who had lived in the palace all his life. If Riku was always swamped with people, then Sora must have never known a moment of peace. But Sora was the kind of person who liked to be around people. He probably didn't mind the unending attention at all. Leaning back into the couch, Riku let out a small sigh. People like Sora kind irritated him because of that; it was as if they didn't even realize that everyone just wanted to talk to them because they were thinking of the social benefits.

Sora looked as if he was going to say something more but before he could speak, a hand fell on Riku's shoulder. Riku looked up to see Cloud, the blond man's face as emotionless as usual. "Training after lunch."

"What? Says who?"

"Me. Heartless are beginning to breach the marsh's boundaries. If you're going out there, I'm going to make sure you're not going to get instantly killed."

Riku's eyes narrowed, his fingers tightening around the plate in his hand. "I think I've trained long enough to not get killed by one little Heartless."

"You have improved, but not enough."

Sitting beside him, Sora made a little noise of discontent at his brother's words. "Cloud, that's not nice…Riku's been working really hard and he's done a lot for us."

Bristling, Riku couldn't help but spit out. "Maybe if you gave me an actual weapon to train with, I would get better faster than from just playing with sticks." He wanted to hear Cloud's excuse. Now that he actually had a sword of his own, he had the upper hand; he just wanted to hear what Cloud would say.

"Leon and I will decide when you're ready for a weapon."

Riku knew he'd say something like that. With a scowl, he set his plate down on the side table then stood up. "Fine. Let's go train then."

"Ah, but, your lunch-!"

Riku glanced down at Sora then looked over at Cloud. It always amazed him that this blond sprit, who was a good half inch shorter than him, was so much stronger than him. Then he would look at Cloud's eyes and see that eerie blue glow, the façade of calm which held the animal inside, and he wasn't so surprised anymore. Holding the wolf's striking gaze, Riku spoke. "It's alright. I wouldn't want to eat right before one of Cloud's training sessions anyway. I'd probably just end up throwing it back up halfway through."

Cloud snorted then turned. "You're probably right. Let's go."

Riku had been right not to eat. When Cloud had said that they were going out training, Riku hadn't known that he was going to go up against both Cloud and Leon. What was worse was that they both had radically different training styles. Cloud would just say a few words, "Block", "Strike," and would force Riku to repeat defending or attacking until he was actually successful. Leon on the other hand would explain what he wanted first, then have Riku try to strike or block. Then he would criticize what Riku did wrong afterwards. Both were tough trainers, and Riku didn't know which one he disliked more.

They both frustrated him to no end.

Two hours into the training, Leon landed a blow on the back of Riku's legs. They buckled immediately and he dropped to the ground, his own practice sword clattering a few feet away. Chest heaving, Riku wiped the sweat from his forehead. Damn it. It was as if he was never getting any stronger. It was pissing him off. Riku's silver eyebrows furrowed as he heard Leon walked up to him, a second later seeing the man's boots out of the corner of his eyes.

"You can't be tired already."

That tone of voice pissed him off.

_They think you're weak. We can show them how strong you really are. Let me show them. They'll never mock you like this again._

"Pick up your sword, you still don't guard your right side well enough."

_They're trying to push you over the edge. They want to see you fail. You will never be good enough for them. No matter how much you train, they will never have a good word to say to you._

Riku shook his head, lowering his forehead to the ground. Taking a moment to push Xehanort back into his thoughts, he sucked in his breath then launched himself forward for the practice sword. If Leon and Cloud wanted a fight, then he would give them one. As soon as his fingers wrapped around the piece of wood, he rolled to his feet and into a defensive position.

Leon smirked at the pose, crouching down as well. "Good. Come at me."

Riku did. He ran forward, clashing their practice swords together. Leon blocked then twisted to the side, gracefully side-stepping the teen. Riku just managed to turn to block the lion's attack. Suddenly, Leon fell back. Riku wasn't fooled. If Leon fell back, that meant that coming up behind him-

Twisting around, Riku raised his sword just in time to block Cloud's strike as the wolf attacked. Unfortunately the strength of Cloud's blow caused Riku's sword to fly out of his hand, once again falling to the ground out of his reach.

And Cloud was pulling his arm back for another strike. But Riku knew it would come too fast for him to dodge well enough. He needed a way to defend himself. As Cloud swung, Riku raised his hand, mind momentarily going blank in a panic.

In that moment, Riku froze as he heard Leon suddenly let out a shout of surprise, his eyes widening when he realized that there was now a solid weight in his hands again. A dark red and blue shape crossed his vision between him and Cloud.

It was Soul Eater.

And it had cut through Cloud's wooden practice sword.

Grimacing, Riku lowered his sword quickly but before he could take a step either way, Leon had grabbed his sword arm, the lion's voice harsh. "Who gave you that sword?"

Riku's eyes darted to Cloud's face to see that the wolf was equally somber. With a scowl, Riku tried to wrench his hand away only to find Leon's grip as strong as iron. He could even feel the lion's claws digging slightly into his skin. "Why should you care?"

"Who have you talked to? What have you told them?"

Riku's temper flared and he grit his teeth as Leon pulled him closer, the spirit's voice lowering to a growl. "Do you understand what you could have done, Jenovan? If you've told anyone anything, we could all die. How could you do this?"

Letting out a sharp laugh, Riku tried to pull away again. "How could I? I never wanted to be here in the first place! Axel kidnapped me from my house! All I wanted is to go home and I went along with you because you promised to help. You've put me through hell but you can't really hold up your end of the deal, can you?" Riku couldn't help himself. All of his frustration over the entire situation was coming out now, it was like a broken dam; impossible to stop. "So yeah, excuse me for trying to find a way to defend myself, and to find someone who actually can help me!"

Leon shook his head. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into. Making deals with them never turns out well."

"So far, all I've seen is that your deals are the bad ones here."

"They won't help you either, Riku. They'll just kill you along with the rest of us."

Riku could feel rage taking over his mind, the entire situation was too much. He couldn't think.

_They're irritating me as well. Animal scum talking down to a dark elemental. How dare they?_

"Give me the sword, Jenovan, and tell us what you told the Superior to get it."

Give them the sword? Riku laughed again, "I'm not giving you this sword. _Do you really think I would hand it over to scum like you? You think you can just demand it? With this sword, I am far stronger than you animals. If you ask for it again, blood will be spilt, I promise you that!_"

That wasn't his voice. Those weren't his words. Riku could feel his whole body shaking. He was glowing black again, and he was so cold. But he couldn't stop the words coming past his lips.

"_I should kill you anyway just for your insolence!"_

He ripped his hand from Leon's grasp with a new burst of strength but his hand barely drew back before Leon tackled him to the ground. The lion was just tall and heavy enough to physically keep him down and he shouted over to Cloud. "Go get Sora! Hurry!"

Riku thrashed in Leon's grasp, but the spirit kept him pinned. Riku had no control over his body anymore; it was as if he had been pushed to the back of his mind. Xehanort was now completely in control and all Riku could do was watch. It was mortifying. He felt his limbs lashing out, knees and hands struggling to get free but Leon held his ground. Every few seconds, Leon would tell him to calm down, calling him by name, but Riku knew both of them knew that it wasn't working.

It felt like hours passed before Riku heard footsteps approaching them again. His head snapped back as Leon glanced up. The scene was upside-down but Riku still saw Sora running up beside Cloud.

Sora looked scared.

The young prince then pulled himself together and rushed forward. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands on Riku's temples as he smiled weakly. The smile didn't reach his still-frightened eyes. "Riku, you're strong, right? Take control back, you can do it."

A shock of pain shot through Riku as Sora's hands began to glow. His eyes clenched shut as his body twisted under Leon's grip, trying to get away from the glowing hands. But he felt his own consciousness rush to the front of his mind again as Xehanort was pushed back down.

Within a few moments, he was able to inhale a shaky breath of his own, his eyes fluttering open again as he felt his heart pounding in his chest again. He had never felt so relieved to be able to move his body.

When his eyes opened, his and Sora's eyes met one another's and Sora let out a quiet sigh of relief. A moment later, the prince's blue eyes lifted up to Leon. "I…I think its okay, to let him go, Leon. He's alright now."

Leon frowned but obeyed his prince and reluctantly released his grip on Riku. Riku remained on his back for a moment, just taking stock of his situation as Cloud moved over to Leon, apparently to make sure that the Leon was alright.

"Can you sit up, Riku?"

Riku glanced up at Sora then nodded and slowly pushed himself up onto his elbows. His body felt as if it was being weighed down by lead bricks, almost as if he had just run a few miles.

Frowning at the obvious effort it took for Riku to simply sit up, Sora inched forward. "Take it easy if you need to. Here, let me help." Almost tentatively, Sora lay his hand on Riku's arm. Almost instantly, some of the fatigue and weight from Riku's body lifted away. He looked over to Sora and his worried gaze and let out a small sigh.

"Thanks…"

The walk home was a quiet one. Even Sora knew to be quiet as he supported one of Riku's arms over his shoulders. Leon and Cloud were deadly quiet, and Riku couldn't bring himself to look at them. He couldn't believe that he had let himself lose control like that. Anger was no excuse for the fact that he had let Xehanort take over. His pride couldn't handle the thought.

Just as the tree house came into sight, Leon, who was leading the way, stopped in his tracks. Turning around, the lion gazed evenly at Riku, like a judge who had just arrived at a verdict. "Jenovan. You're moving into His Majesties room. Until you can control that monster inside you, we can't risk having you outside the influence of a light elemental. You will always be near one of the two young princes, and you will train with either Cloud or I every day until your sword skills improve. As it is I will not tolerate having you loose among the rest of us. And you will tell us what you told the Superior's men."

Riku pursed his lips as Sora tightened his grip on him. Turning his head away, Riku spat out. "I didn't tell that guy anything."

"Jenovan…"

"If you can't trust me then that's your problem. They already know we're in the marsh, but I didn't give them any details. They just gave me the sword as a token of goodwill."

"If you're not telling us the truth…"

"Leon." Riku was surprised to hear Sora speak up, and that Sora sounded so indignant. "If Riku says that he's telling the truth, then we should believe him. In any case, you can wait to question my Guardian later. He's exhausted from the possession and needs rest."

Leon blinked in surprise then frowned. But he backed down. When they got back to the tree house, Roxas approached them. A look from Sora though silenced any questions he might have had.

The trip up the stairs was a little difficult, but soon enough, Riku was able to fall onto his bed. Crouching down by the edge of the bed, Sora bit his lip then gently reached out to touch Riku's hair. Just ghosting his fingers over it, nothing more. "You…you scared me, Riku."

Riku cracked an eye open to look questioningly up at Sora.

Sora smiled weakly, the expression trembling somewhat. "Your eyes…when Leon had you on the ground, your eyes were, they were gold. It was really scary. I thought that I'd lost you for a second."

Riku let out a small sigh. "Idiot. It's not like I could be messed up for long with you around."

A hint of a blush tinted Sora's cheeks and he scratched the back of his head. "Maybe not…" His voice trailed off for a moment. When he spoke up again, it was quiet. "Did…did you really get a sword from Xemnas though?"

"Yes."

"O-Oh." Sora bit his lip, his hands falling to his lap. "Why?"

Rolling onto his side so that he was completely facing Sora, Riku frowned lightly. Sora was looking really downcast. The prince's shoulders were slumped, his eyes locked on his laced fingers. Maybe it would be best just to tell him the truth. Most of the truth anyway. "I took the sword because they offered it to me as a way to defend myself. I want to fight, not just use some stupid Dark Shield, and Cloud and Leon never let me have a weapon. And there were no strings attached to this. It was a free gift."

"Can I see it?"

Riku frowned but lifted his hand. It took a second to call it from his mind to his hand, but as soon as he wrapped his hand around the hilt, it radiated with that comforting power. It was dark magic, but it wasn't cold like Xehanort Heartless'. It was nice.

Sora's eyes brightened at the sight of the weapon and he leaned forward to inspect it better. "Wow! I'm surprised. It actually looks like a really high-quality weapon." He held his hand out over it. "The magic is good too. It's untainted dark magic."

"I thought a light element would think that all dark magic was tainted and evil."

Sora looked up at him in bemusement. "Why would I think that? Dark magic isn't automatically bad. It's just the opposite of light. Like night is to day. One's not better than the other, they just balance each other out." He smiled a little. "Besides, you're a dark elemental, and you're not evil, so that pretty much disproves your point, doesn't it?"

Riku stared up at Sora then smirked and ruffled the other's hair. Sora let out a squeak of surprise, batting the hand away. "What was that for?"

"For being adorably stupid." It was true too. The prince seemed to have no censor between his mind and his mouth, but Riku could see that that could be endearing on some level. Covering a yawn with his hand, he settled back down into his bed, rolling onto his stomach. "But as much as I'd love to continue this conversation, I'm tired." When Sora failed to leave the room, Riku cracked an eye open to glare at him. The young prince had only moved over to sit on Axel's bed. "That's generally a person's cue to leave."

Sora shook his head with a soft smile. "I can't leave. Leon's orders, remember?"

Riku frowned then shook his head. "Fine. Do what you want." If Sora wanted to sit in a dark room and watch him sleep, then Riku wasn't going to stop him.

A few moments of silence passed. Riku was actually feeling himself beginning to fall asleep when he heard Sora's voice carry quietly from across the room. "Riku…?"

Riku buried his face into his pillow. "What?"

"I'm sorry. That we couldn't provide you with a weapon. And I'm sorry that Xemnas can give you nicer things than we can."

The statement irritated Riku for some reason and he tilted his head to the side so that he could speak better. "Look. I didn't tell them anything about where we're hiding out."

"I, I never said you did-!"

Riku cut him off. "So that must mean that I don't absolutely hate it here, right?"

From across the room, Sora blinked. Then he smiled, "I guess so. I'm relieved to hear that."

Letting out a little breath of air, Riku buried his face back into his pillow. If he really had to stick by Sora's side, the next few days were going to be long. The prince still made him feel uneasy. And worse now was the fact that he was going to have to somewhat depend on the other boy. He obviously couldn't control Xehanort's Heartless on his own, so depending on Sora like that made it all the more awkward for Riku. He didn't want to be connected so closely to any one person. He had never needed anyone like that before, and he wasn't so sure that he liked that feeling.

The next few days passed, as Riku had anticipated, rather slowly. Instead of being on his own, Riku was now spending his time around the front of the tree house with Sora and Roxas, and therefore also with Axel, Aerith, Demyx, and everyone else. It was as if he had been forced to become social. That didn't mean that he automatically became friendlier to everyone; on the contrary, he tried not to talk to anyone if he could help it. But sometimes Axel would challenge him to a sparring contest; now that he had revealed that he had a sword, the others were fighting him with their real weapons. Axel was hard to fight. Cloud and Leon had been hard enough when they had just been swinging sticks around. Now that they had their actual weapons in hand, they were unstoppable. Cloud's sword especially was a thing to be feared; Riku had learned the hard way that the thing actually had the ability to split into six or so smaller swords. That hadn't been pretty.

And then there was all the time he had to spend with Sora now.

Sora. Riku hadn't anticipated that he would learn to tolerate the other boy so quickly. It was just impossible to not like him. He was just too…good a person. It was odd, that Riku would find that appealing, but then again, he had never really gotten to know anyone who was just…nice. Normally people wanted something from him, but Sora just wanted to talk and learn more about him. It was almost amusing how many questions Sora would ask about the human world. Sora seemed almost enchanted with the idea of going to see it someday.

Another good point to being near Sora was that he hadn't heard from Xehanort's Heartless since he had tried to attack Cloud and Leon. It was nice to be able to think for himself, with no one else putting in their opinion.

Nevertheless, it was nice as it all seemed, they were quickly finding themselves in increasing danger. The Heartless were encroaching ever further into the marsh. Trying to keep them outside his boundaries was visually beginning to wear on Demyx; he looked tired all the time now though he clearly tried to hide it. Even he had admitted that there were too many Heartless within his territory for him to keep track of now though. Leon and Cloud were now gone for hours on end, and when they returned, it was becoming more common for them to have ripped clothes and bloody scratches from where Heartless had gotten to them. Aerith would always immediately heal them, but things were definitely becoming worse. They all knew that it would only be a matter of time before the Heartless breached into the inner area of the marsh.

One afternoon, or at least, Riku assumed it was the afternoon, it was still so hard to tell when it was nearly always dark out, Riku found himself sitting with Sora at the marsh's edge in front of the tree house. The prince was dangling his legs into the water, aimlessly watching the fish swim around his feet as Riku sat stoically beside him. Although there was a threat of Heartless on the horizon, that didn't mean that the present was any more exciting.

Cloud and Leon were off on patrol again. Riku half-suspected it was just a way for them to get away from everyone else. Demyx and Aerith were washing clothes on the other side of the house in another nearby pool. Somehow Axel had been guilted into helping as well, so Roxas had gone to enjoy the sight of his fiery Guardian waist deep in cold water. For the first half-hour, Riku could hear the complaining from all the way around the house.

Hearing Sora sigh a little next to him, Riku tilted his head to the side, a smirk playing on his lips as he leaned down. "Bored?"

Sora jumped a bit as if startled from his thoughts then turned. "Ha, yeah! It's that obvious?"

"You've been quiet for a full minute already. It's pretty obvious you're bored if it's come to that."

Sora frowned playfully. "You don't know, maybe I'm just enjoying the atmosphere."

"What atmosphere?"

"You know. The trees, the fish, Mom's flowers…more trees…okay, so maybe it's not the atmosphere. But I'm not having a bad time. It's kind of nice just to be able to relax for a while!" With a silly smile, Sora stretched his arms up as a shout echoed out from the other side of the house followed by cursing and laughter. Undoubtedly Axel just got a little more wet somehow. "Everyone can have fun. It's like living the life of a regular person. It's kind of fun just to be bored."

Snorting, Riku turned his gaze back to the water. It was amazing how clear the water was, even though it was called a swamp or marsh. It was really very pretty, even if it was somewhat muted by the darkness.

Just as he was leaning back to get more comfortable though, his eyes caught a shift in the shadows on the other side of the pool they were lounging by, some light change having flitted across the surface of the water. He instinctually stiffened, his eyes sharpening on the black that had shifted. Feeling him tense beside him, Sora lightly kicked his feet, his voice betraying his worry as he asked quietly. "What is it, Riku?"

"I don't know." There was no movement on the far bank. Truthfully, Riku hadn't been too sure if he had seen anything in the first place. Maybe it had just been a fish. It might have been nothing. "My imagination, maybe."

"Then why haven't you relaxed yet?"

"I don't know."

"…Should we call Demyx over?"

Riku frowned, his eyes scanning the banks, "I don't think there's anything to worry about-"

Suddenly, Riku felt a spike of cold directly in front of them, the chill of a Heartless. His eyes flashed down to see two glowing orbs underneath the water's surface just as Sora let out a cry of surprise as he was dragged down into the swamp water.

An indescribable panic ripped through Riku at the sight. He shouted in alarm and without a second thought dove into the water after the prince.

Under the water, he could see Sora struggling with what looked to be a Heartless dressed up in a green diver's outfit of some sort. Riku's main concern was the thing's tight grip on Sora's ankle and the trident held in its right hand. Sora had managed to call his Keyblade to his hand but right now the trident and sword were locked together in a stalemate of equal strikes and blocks. It looked like the thing's trident had managed to cut Sora's sleeve though, a bit of red blood seeping out into the water. And Sora was being dragged further into the center of the deep pool.

Swimming forward, Riku called Soul Eater to his hand. He couldn't open his mouth to say a spell; his lungs were already burning from lack of fresh air, so instead he swung at the thing with all he had. Under the water, the power of his strike was severely diminished, but it still made contact with the Heartless' shoulder, giving him a cut of his own to match Sora's.

A few bubbled of surprise escaped from the Heartless and suddenly it released Sora and scurried off into the dark waters. Taking immediate advantage of the situation, and desperately needing to breathe, Riku grabbed Sora's arm and started to kick back up to the surface of the water. Sora had fallen limp, obviously having run out of air.

They had to get to the surface.

Suddenly, the water itself rushed up around them, propelling them upwards and pushing them up to the surface in less than a second. Coughing out water as soon as he had felt the air on his face, Riku grabbed onto Sora as he spotted Demyx and the others on the bank. The water god had his hands raised to control the watery rescue, but his blue eyes were dark with an unmistakable anger. Shaking his wet hair from his face, Riku called out, "It's still in the water!"

Demyx nodded. He set them down on the bank in a gentle wave of water then dove into the marsh himself, disappearing almost immediately. Riku's focus was on Sora though as the others rushed to their side. Ignoring their comments and shouts of concern, he wrapped his arms around the prince from behind then laced his hands together and thrust up against the other's chest. On the second try, Sora spit up the water he had swallowed, the reflex quickly turning into coughs as he shuddered in Riku's arms.

Frowning, Riku pushed Sora down onto the ground, stomach down, and tilted his face to the side. "Stay like that until you've caught your breath, okay? That way your airway will stay clear and we can get any extra water out."

After receiving a weak nod from Sora, Riku sat back on his legs and let out a sigh. Now he just had to get his own heart-rate down again, that had been one hell of an adrenaline rush. His aquamarine eyes flashed up to Aerith and Roxas and their horrified expressions. "He's fine. Just don't move him for a few minutes. We should probably change out of these clothes too, so if we have any dry blankets or something, those would be good to get." Aerith nodded and immediately went to the house as Roxas crouched down next to his brother. Feeling Axel's gaze boring into him from over his shoulder, Riku turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you with something?"

"When did you learn to do that?"

"What, when did I learn to save a drowning victim?" Riku scoffed at Axel's nod. "You're an idiot. I live on an island. The Jenovan estate is on the beach. My father has had me enrolled in swim lessons as long as I can remember, so of course I would know how to rescue someone who's drowning."

Axel snorted and crossed his arms. "Who knew you could actually do something so useful?"

Riku rolled his eyes, his gaze turning back to the water as he wrapped his arms around his body. That had been truly frightening. Not just the fact that Sora had almost drowned, but that he had reacted so dramatically to the event. Once again, he had had no control over his actions. But this time, it was worse, because he couldn't blame it on Xehanort's Heartless. No, this had been all him. Him and those damned Guardian instincts. Riku's eyes narrowed as a sick realization washed over him. He wasn't going to be able to take Xemnas's deal. He wasn't strong enough to. Letting out a disgusted sigh, Riku tightened his grip around himself. Now that he was beginning to calm down, he was getting very cold with all of his clothes plastered soaking wet to his body.

Just as he had finally felt himself relax, a bubble of water formed on the surface of the water. Eyes widening, Riku got ready to run back, "Hey, Axel…"

Axel turned, his own acidic eyes widening at the sight. He had just called his chakrams out when the bubble lifted out of the water, revealing that swimming Heartless trapped inside. Not a second later, Demyx bobbed up to the surface, easily treading the water as he looked seriously at Riku. "Is this what attacked Sora?"

Riku nodded. Demyx frowned and flicked his hand. The bubble of water suddenly pulled out to form three dagger-like arms, all three coming down on the Heartless at once. It disappeared into a cloud of ash as soon as they pierced through it and Demyx pulled himself out of the water, his expression still dark. "I managed to catch up to it before it could reach anyone else. But we have a problem if they've begun to use Heartless with water elemental characteristics. I can't sense them in the water, there's no telling how many of those things managed to sneak into my marsh-"

"Is everything okay here?"

Demyx, Axel, and Riku turned to see Leon and Cloud stumbling into the clearing, clearly worse for wear and looking worried.

Hand pressed over a dark stain of blood on his side, Leon growled hurriedly. "What happened? We smelt Sora's blood from where we were fighting."

"A water Heartless managed to sneak this far in." Axel shook his head as Leon's eyes widened. "Dem managed to kill it before it could tell anyone what it had found."

Leon let out a breath then closed his eyes. "That is good news. And at least the Heartless we have been fighting have seemed to gather around the south side of these marshes. Cloud and I have been doing the best we can to lure them into thinking that we regroup over there, but it's time that we think of a plan. We need to face Xemnas head on."

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	12. Chapter 12

Alright, dudes. This week has been a wild ride with finals and all, and I had no free time to do anything except fall into a brain-dead coma, but I've finally pulled myself together and have happily gotten to home plate which is Spring Break. Fun times. Anyway, I had fun with this update. I used it to vent the anxieties that come with final. And Spoiler: it's a slight cliffie. Couldn't help myself. Muahaha. Fun times, dudes, fun times.

So thanks to all of my reviewers: Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, Mirror and Darkling, Shinimegami7, CloudedMirror, miforever29, Aindel S. Druida, XfallenXshadowX, Ultima Eagle, whereowhere-is-my-rabbit, 73n5Hl, Chaotic Darkness, japan_fan101, Ivy J., andhearts, FlurryDivider, Anon.

The more reviews I get for this next chapter, the faster I'll update! Reviews are the fuel and muse to my creativity. ^^

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Chapter 12

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Leon, Cloud, and Sora were quickly ushered into the tree house after Sora was able to be moved. Shivering, Riku ran his hands through his hair, trying to card out some of the tangles as he watched Aerith gently help her son down onto the couch. Sora coughed a bit as he dropped down, waving Aerith away with a small smile, though the expression didn't reach his eyes as he glanced over at Riku. "It's okay, mother. I'm alright. Riku got me out of the water in time."

Aerith turned to Riku, her expression so grateful that Riku had to look away. "Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to him."

Blushing slightly, Riku shrugged nonchalantly. "It was nothing."

With a small smile and shake of her head, Aerith nonetheless turned her attention to her eldest son sitting on the couch across from them. "Cloud? Are you hurt anywhere badly that I need to take a look at first?"

Cloud shook his head, dirty with the dark swamp earth and blood. "My cuts are shallow." He raised his left hand which had a slash across the back of it to his lips and gave it a tentative lick. Much to Riku's surprise the wound began to seal up. It appeared as though Cloud had inherited some healing traits from his mother. "Leon has the worse injuries."

Beside him, Leon let out a low grunt but allowed Aerith to lift his shirt up. A large gash had been torn into his side. Shaking his bangs away from his sweat-streaked face, the lion growled softly as she began to inspect it closer. "It was some sort of strange animal Heartless. Latched onto me and bit down before I could shake it off." He hissed as Aerith murmured a sympathetic Cure spell, the magic immediately beginning to do its work. "But we need to finalize our plans. Where's Axel?"

"I'm coming." Riku looked over as Axel came down the stairs, Roxas right behind him. The redhead was carrying a stack of blankets. Behind him, Roxas was clutching onto a bundle of clothing. "Just needed to get some things so those two wouldn't catch hypothermia on us." He tossed a blanket to Riku who caught it and quickly wrapped it around his shoulders, eager for the extra warmth.

Meanwhile, Roxas moved over to his brother, helping Sora out of his soaked shirt in exchange for a dry one. Riku forced his gaze elsewhere as Sora changed, feeling himself inexplicably interested in seeing the other's bare skin. Over the past few days he was finding himself more and more attracted to the boy. As he began to enjoy his personality, he was also thinking more and more about his almost feminine and vibrant features. He couldn't even remember how many times he had thought of Sora as cute just in the last few hours. Kairi was nothing more than a figure in what seemed to be a past life. He had never felt this strongly for her anyway. Not once. With Sora though, it had been an instant connection, and it was as if the boy was becoming ingrained in his life.

"So what's the game plan?"

Axel's loud interjection broke through Riku's thoughts, pulling him back to the present situation as the redhead perched on the back of the couch Leon and Cloud were sitting on. Riku slowly began to dry his hair off as Leon sighed.

"As you know we have been trying to put together some tactical plan ever since we got out of the palace. We need to strike Xemnas before he can get us, but as we've talked about before, we would need some sort of inside help. Otherwise, I have no idea how we could manage to get safely inside a second time. Now that they know about the sewer exit, it would not be a viable entrance anymore."

Axel hummed, his question serious despite his light tone. "So what you're saying is up to this point, you've been stalling in presenting a plan because you don't think there is one."

Leon shrugged, sucking in a gasp with a wince as Aerith found another deep wound a little higher up his torso than the first. Next to him, Cloud frowned and leaned against him, nuzzling the other man's arm. With a small smile, Leon bumped his head against Cloud's. "I'll be fine. But yes, Axel, you're right. I don't have a plan. However if things continue the way they are, we will be cornered in this marsh. Either we break out, or we're going to be caught."

Listening into the conversation, Demyx walked over from the kitchen area, a tray of hot tea and cups in his hands. "I could sneak us out, if I had to. I still know of paths they couldn't have figured out yet. Here," he handed a cup of tea to Sora then another to Riku. "This will warm you up fast enough."

Axel frowned thoughtfully and tilted his head to the side. "If we could sneak out without them noticing, we might have a better chance of getting into the castle while they're occupied here."

"Although, once again, we'd have to worry about the palace guards. And we don't know how many of the Superior's lackeys are here rather than there." Leon paused. "It's not a bad idea though. In any case it would undoubtedly be the best chance we had at getting back inside. If the sewer entrance is indeed being guarded then I know of a few side entrances into the palace for the servants. They have always been guarded as well, but it would be easier to get into them then to have to crawl through the sewer tunnel again." As Aerith finished healing him, Leon leaned forward and massaged his temples. "Demyx. How much more time do you think we have to make a final decision?"

Setting down his tea tray, Demyx tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I think we still have a few hours. Now that I know they have water Heartless, I can seal off the pools around us to create a barrier. And since the other Heartless haven't made it in too far yet, we should still have like a day."

"Good. Your Highnesses. Please, rest for a few hours. After that, we can make our escape. Riku, please go up with them to their bedroom. I suppose you could get some sleep as well."

Riku frowned. "What, am I supposed to do, sleep on the floor?"

"Probably."

Riku snorted as Sora shifted a little next to him. The prince bit his lip then spoke up. "If you guys are going to stay up, then maybe I could just take one of your beds instead? That way Riku won't have to sleep on the floor."

The prince's eyes went to Demyx. The water god blinked then smiled easily. "Sure. I'm not going to be sleeping anytime soon if I'm going to seal off the water around here, so you can go ahead and take my bed if you want to rest for a bit."

Sora nodded, his fingers wrapping around the tea cup in his hands as he looked down thoughtfully at his drink. Roxas did not look so pleased with what he saw, his eyes flashing with some worried emotion. "Sora…"

"We can't make Riku sleep on the floor. He saved my life today, I think he has earned that much."

Roxas frowned but merely crossed his arms as Aerith smiled behind her hand. With a quiet hum, she reached over and took her youngest's hand. "Come on, Roxas. Let's go upstairs. It has been an eventful day for all of us. Sora, you and Riku come along as well. The two of you need more rest than us."

A frown twitched onto Riku's face at the motherly affection, it was still too much for him some times, but he followed the family up the stairs as the others remained on the ground level for more intense conversation. Upstairs, he made his way to his bedroom. Sora was already pulling the covers back on Demyx's bed, the prince looking somewhat cheerful as he looked up at Riku when he walked in. "You're still wearing your soaked clothes. You should change before you catch a cold."

"Yeah." Riku couldn't really argue with that, his clothes were still plastered to his skin. He pulled off his shirt and pants, spreading them out on the floor to dry better before he got into his bed. He hated going to bed with wet hair, but he had dried it off as best he could and there was nothing more for it. The only thing he could do would be to get as much sleep as possible.

Before he could go to sleep though, Sora carefully moved over to his bed. Feeling the mattress dipping under the slight added weight, Riku propped himself up onto his elbows. "Um…Riku?" Riku gave a questioning murmur and Sora tentatively continued. "Thank you. For saving me. I…I was really scared, but I knew I would be okay when I saw you dive in after me."

Riku flushed lightly then he looked away. He couldn't believe he was actually blushing, but he could feel his cheeks burning. "It…it was nothing. I didn't have much of a choice anyway. My body reacted before I could even think."

"Heh, yeah." Sora smiled weakly. "I guess that's because you're my Guardian. I'm sorry. That must really irritate you, right? To not have control?" He looked down at his lap and clenched his hands. His expression was flickering quickly to something more distressed and Riku didn't like that he could see tears building in the other's eyes. "I was really happy to have you back with me, but you're not happy. It seems as if you're never enjoying yourself, not with any of us. Not even with me. You can't even save my life without blaming it on the Guardian connection. I guess from your perspective our connection is just like being possessed by Xehanort's Heartless, right?"

"Hey…" Shit. Sora was crying now. Scowling, Riku sat up completely and grabbed Sora's chin. Sora blinked with surprise as he then wiped the trail of tears away with his thumb. "Don't be such an idiot." True, he lost control both to his Guardian instincts and to Xehanort's Heartless, but… "They're not the same. Xehanort's Heartless is psychotic. At least with you, I know that I'm protecting you."

Sora looked away. "But still, it's not because you wanted to protect me, it's because you had to. And I hate that. I've been trying really hard to get you to like me again, but you seem so far away all the time. It's like I can't even reach you."

Now Riku was just getting irritated. With a scowl, moved closer, gripping Sora's chin harder. "What are you even talking about? It's not like I hate you-"

"I don't want your indifference!" New tears trickled down Sora's cheeks. "I want, I want you to like me. I've been trying to be positive, and to be really friendly. Roxas told me it was pointless, but I like you so much, and I still see you as my best friend. I just want you to be happy that you're my Guardian, and to like spending time with me."

"I wouldn't mind being your Guardian, but it was like I had no choice!" Riku knew he was shouting at this point, but he couldn't stop himself. "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad that it was thrown onto me!" He could feel himself shaking. This was the first time in his life that he had lost his composure so badly. Forcing himself to calm down, he addressed a wide-eyed Sora again. "I don't mind spending time with you. You're…you're a good person, and I like being with you…" He couldn't believe he had just said that out loud. But it was the truth, and he would say it if it meant that Sora would stop crying. "I wouldn't mind being your Guardian if I had had a choice about it."

Sora blinked then suddenly lurched forward and pulled Riku into a tight hug. Riku stiffened then relaxed slightly into the prince's arms, awkwardly setting his hands on his back as Sora shook. Was Sora really that happy that he had said those things? "Hey…Sora."

Sora let out a little laugh, pulling away just enough for Riku to see that he was smiling. There was also a glow about his skin, the light a testament to his happiness as his smile widened. "That's the first time in so long that I've heard you say my name!" Suddenly Sora grabbed Riku's hands, "If you really wouldn't mind, then I'll ask you again. Riku Jenovan, would you be my Guardian?"

Riku paused in surprise. Sora was looking at him so intently. He looked like such a normal person, in his too-big change of clothes, sitting on his bed with his large blue eyes. He didn't look like a prince at all. He just looked like an anxious teenage boy waiting for a reply. If he said no, would Sora listen to his wishes? Could he say no? He'd gotten used to being with Sora in the last few days. The little light elemental had literally brightened his life, as cheesy as that was. While he was here, in this world, there really wasn't anything else he could do anyway.

"Of course. It's my birthright."

A bright smile lit Sora's face and he leaned forward, glowing happily. Riku's eyes widened as the other boy then kissed him. That's right, Axel and Roxas had kissed to seal the deal too. But this couldn't have been what that kiss had felt like. It felt much too intimate.

Before he knew it though, the kiss was over and Sora had pulled away again. The prince was blushing, one of his hands rising to cover his lips. "Uh…it wasn't like that when we were kids, I promise! I'm sorry if it was too long!"

Seeing Sora so flustered made Riku more confident for some reason and he smirked easily. Okay, so he might like Sora a little. He was just too cute and emotional. Time to have some fun then. Wrapping an arm around Sora's shoulders, Riku pulled him down into bed with him, snickering as Sora let out a squeak of surprise, finding himself now face to face with the silver-haired boy.

'R-Riku!"

"Leon said that we should get some sleep, right? So let's sleep."

"But, Riku…!"

"I like you, alright?" Riku bumped their foreheads together. "Stop worrying and don't cry over something stupid like that. Next time I'll save you because I want to, not because I have to."

Sora swallowed then nodded shyly, the blush still stained across his cheeks. Then he smiled and closed his eyes. "Thanks, Riku. You've made me really happy!"

With a soft grunt, Riku merely closed his eyes, hand reaching up to blindly ruffle Sora's hair. "Just go to sleep."

Riku must have drifted off after that because the next thing he was aware of was a large bang from downstairs followed by a series of animated conversation. Groaning, he reached up to rub the sleep from his face only to have his hand bump against another body. Oh yeah, he had Sora sleep with him. The bump had woken Sora and the young prince slowly shifted, letting out a small murmur as he blinked his blue eyes open. Their gazes met but just as Sora had opened his mouth to say something a crash echoed up from down stairs.

Riku frowned as Sora sprung up, "What was that?"

Sitting up at a slower pace, Riku ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, but it woke me up." Another round of exclamations pierced through the floorboards and Riku's brow furrowed. Rolling out of bed, he grabbed his shirt and pulled it on with a wince, the fabric felt dry and wrinkled on his skin. "I'll go check it out."

He didn't even bother to stay for Sora's response before he left the room. The voices were louder out in the open hallway. Seeing Roxas and Aerith coming down from their own bedroom, Riku shook his head then motioned for them to go into his room. Roxas frowned but grabbed his mother's hand and did as he was told, going to join Sora. With a flick of his hand, Riku called Soul Eater into his grasp, feeling more secure with it as he slowly crept down the stairs.

What met his sight though, was not what he had been expecting. Downstairs looked as if a hurricane had hit it. The furniture was all turned over, items were knocked off of shelves and scratch marks could be seen over everything. In the center of the mess, Cloud and Leon had their swords drawn, Axel next to them with his chakrams, all of them in defensive positions as Demyx crouched over a hunched form, the water god worriedly helping the figure up.

"What's going on down here?"

Leon looked up to where Riku was halfway down the stairs. "Heartless attack. They were following him."

Demyx interrupted Leon and straightened up to reveal Zexion covered in blood. "Riku! Go get Her Majesty, hurry! He's hurt really badly."

Riku stared at Zexion's hunched form then nodded curtly and bolted back upstairs. Running back to his room, he pushed open the door to find Sora and Roxas crowded nervously around their mother. When he saw him, Sora hopped to his feet. "Riku, what's wrong?"

"Aerith, they need your healing."

Aerith nodded her dress whispering about her legs as she gracefully stood up then rushed out of the room. Roxas stood up, the younger prince's eyes wide. "It's not Axel, is it? He's okay, right?"

"Axel's fine. Zexion found us, but he's hurt. If you don't believe me, go downstairs yourself. It's safe enough now."

Roxas frowned then pushed passed Riku, heading downstairs as Sora walked over to him. "Zexion? That was the spirit who told us to run from the palace, right? How did he find us?"

Riku shook his head. "I don't know. Let's go find out." He led the way back downstairs. By the time he got back down to the ground floor, a couch had been up-righted and Zexion was sitting on it next to Aerith and Demyx as the flower elemental murmured multiple Cure spells. Zexion had scratches up and down his body, his black cloak slashed as blood ran down his face from underneath his bangs. Aerith pushed the man's bangs back to reveal a wound along his hairline. Zexion's expression showed a twitch of pain as she touched the cut gently.

"Demyx, could you get me a bowl of water so we can clean the blood?"

Demyx quickly nodded to her request, hopping to his feet as Leon crouched down in front of Zexion. "What happened?"

With a frown, Zexion tisked. "I was hoping to reach you without suspicion. It seems though that my illusions are not so effective against pure Heartless as they are with normal spirits."

"How did you find us?"

Zexion rolled his eyes then indicated to his nose. "I can smell traces of darkness from Jenovan. Saix might follow scents like a dog but residues of magic last far longer. My specialty is in dark magic."

Riku felt Leon's gaze on him and he crossed his arms, looking over to Zexion. It wasn't his fault if Zexion was able to sniff him out. It wasn't as if he had done anything on purpose. "Why'd you follow us here, Zexion?"

With a sniff, Zexion frowned. "Don't be so tactless. I have come to help you, be happy I was able to track the lot of you down with only capturing the Heartless' attention." He paused as Demyx came back over with a bowl of water and a washcloth. Sitting next to him, Demyx wet the cloth then dabbed at the drying blood.

Noticing his pause, Demyx smiled weakly. "At least it's coming off well. Luckily it seems that everything just bled a lot. Well, that's not good, but it means that there are less injuries than there could have been!"

"And you are?"

Demyx paused then flushed lightly. "Heh! Sorry, that was so rude of me. I'm Demyx! It's nice to meet you."

Zexion raised an eyebrow then tilted his head to the side to allow Demyx better access to his face. "Hmph. Under the circumstances, I would not consider it a nice meeting, seeing as how I nearly bled myself out getting here. But I suppose it was fortunate that I arrived before the Superior reached you first." He sat up a little, his sharp blue eyes moving over to Leon. "I have come to tell you that there are some at the castle who would be willing to help your cause. Though they have remained silent up to now, they would be willing to aid you so long as they know that there is a strong possibility of reinstating the young royals to the throne."

Leon crossed his arms, his brow furrowing as he asked thoughtfully, "Which people are willing to help?"

"Lexaeus and Xigbar. And myself as well. As you know, Xigbar is the leader of the palace guards, so having him on your side would be critical for getting access into the palace grounds. Lexaeus and I can help you move through the palace unseen. The other lead spirits under the Superior never take the halls which we walk."

Riku hadn't met Xigbar yet, but he clearly remembered Lexaus. Tilting his head to the side, he asked curiously, "Why would you guys help us?"

A hint of annoyance flickered across Zexion's face. "It is not my place to question the others' motivations. The fact of the matter is that we are all putting our confidence with you, despite the odds. The Superior still has Marluxia, Vexen, Larxene, Saix, and Xaldin loyal to him for whatever personal reason. With that said, if you lead us into a losing fight, I cannot promise for the others that they will remain on your side if the Superior were to offer them a deal out."

"So what's the plan now, Leon? Is everything still a go?"

Leon looked to the ground at Axel's question. "The plan stays the same. We're getting out of here. Now we're just going to head to the palace like you first suggested. With a sure way in, it's the best plan. Your Majesty," Riku blinked as all eyes turned to Sora, "As the rightful heir to the throne, you will be the one who will take power if we succeed in taking the palace. Are you willing to do this?"

That's right. Sora was the old king's oldest son, since Cloud had come from Aerith's previous marriage. So he was going to be king if all of this worked out? Riku glanced over to Roxas to catch the younger prince's expression. Sitting next to Axel and his mother, Roxas's face showed no malice to the idea of his brother taking power. On the contrary, he looked concerned for Sora as his older brother became the focus of everyone's attention. Sora though, being Sora, took it in stride and nodded earnestly, his whole posture radiating with that royal power again. Unlike a few hours ago in their room, this Sora was completely confident.

"Of course I'm willing! We can't allow Xemnas to rule like this any longer. By usurping my father he threw this world into chaos and if nothing else, it is our duty as citizens of this world to regain power to restore that balance which he destroyed. For the good of everyone." Smiling, he put his hands on his hips. "And I know we can win, because I couldn't have gathered together a better group of spirits. With all of us working together, and backing each other, there's no way we can lose."

Riku shook his head as Leon nodded stoically. He couldn't believe that he actually thought such an idealist was cute. Even after that last speech, he was internally debating whether he should allow himself to feel inspired or if he should gag from its sunny positive outlook.

With a sigh, Zexion stood up despite Demyx's murmur of concern. "Very well. I will return to the palace and alert the others that you accepted our cooperation."

"We're heading toward the palace too." Axel said, a smirk on his face as he glanced over at Demyx, "You should just come with us."

"I travel faster alone. Besides, if you were indeed seen by one of the Superior's men, I would not want to be associated with you quite yet."

Demyx stood up, his bowl of now red-tinted water still clutched in his hands. "But your cloak, don't you want to change before you leave?"

Looking down at his ripped cloak, Zexion shook his head. With a wave of his fingers, a new layer of black fell on top of the old fabric, visually covering up the tears and making the cloak appear brand new. "An illusion will suit me until I reach the palace to change. I am sensitive to scents, as I have mentioned before. Wearing another's clothing would only hinder and endanger me." Zexion walked over to the front door. "You have my gratitude for tending to my wounds, I will-" Suddenly, Zexion paused, his visible eye widening slightly. "Dark magic is quickly approaching."

"More Heartless?"

Cloud ran to a window, throwing it open to sniff the air outside. "Leon! It's-" his sentence was cut off by a sharp yelp as a blur of blue leapt through the window, carrying the wolf spirit to the floor halfway across the room.

Riku instinctually stepped in front of Sora, Soul Eater in his hand as Heartless began to pour through the open window. Having sprung to his feet, Axel drew in front of Roxas and Aerith, chakrams at the ready as he shouted. "Everyone outside, we can't get trapped in here!"

As Axel said this, Cloud, who was still tangled with his opponent, shape-shifted into his wolf form. It wasn't until then that Riku realized his enemy was a wolf as well, the blue actually the color of the creature's fur. With a fierce snarl, Cloud bit at the other wolf then ran back a few steps in order to evaluate the situation. As soon as he got away, Leon had moved in, blocking Cloud from the other wolf as he held out his sword in front of him. "Axel, Demyx," he growled low as he stared the blue wolf down. "Lead the way."

"Right!" Demyx raised his hand, taking control of the water in the nearest fountains on the shelves and tables. "Dance, water, dance!"

The water quickly formed into familiar water clones, cutting through the Heartless. Axel ran forward, his chakrams spinning as he sliced through the Heartless that the water clones missed. Clearing through the Heartless in mere seconds, Axel reached the door. Zexion stepped out of the way as the redhead opened the door only to immediately close it. "We've got more company outside! More Heartless coming our way."

"I'll take care of them!" Rushing forward, Demyx drew his water clones together, shaping them into a great wave. "Open the door!"

Axel did as he was told and Demyx pushed the wave outside the house, bowling the approaching Heartless over. As the coast was momentarily cleared, Demyx stepped outside. "Quick! We should leave-!"

He was cut off as the blue wolf suddenly shook himself off, dodging Leon's swinging sword before bolting passed Demyx and through the open door. Letting out a low curse, Zexion moved forward, running to see the wolf dashing off between the trees. "I expect we only have a few seconds to come up with a plan. Saix will undoubtedly be notifying the others of our situation."

Riku started. He hadn't realized that Saix had literally been the same type of wolf spirit as Cloud. Speaking of Cloud, the silvery wolf was shaking himself off, bumping his head against Leon's leg. His fur was speckled with blood, but his injuries didn't seem to be serious. But apparently they were in real trouble now. Riku stiffened as he felt Sora's fingers grasping onto the back of his shirt in concern. Reaching down to touch Cloud's head, Leon frowned. "Get ready to fight then. Our main concern should be with breaking through their ranks. If we all hit in one direction, we might be able to break out. I'll make the first attack and you can come in after me."

Sure enough though, as soon as Saix had disappeared into the swamp, three more figures stepped into the clearing. Walking to the door, Leon adjusted his grip on his sword, his shoulders tensing as he viewed them coming closer. Suddenly he dug the sword into the floor. He looked back at the others. "I'll give you a few seconds. Take that time to get the princes and the queen out of here."

With that said, Leon changed into a massive lion. He was a dark brown, a darker mane making him look completely the part of the king of the beasts. Shaking his head, Leon looked back at them once before taking a step outside. As Leon braced himself, Sora tensed, grabbing Riku's arm. "Hold on, it's Proud Roar."

"What-?"

Riku didn't have time to even finish his thought when Leon suddenly released an earth-shattering roar. It shook the house, every item rattling on their shelves as a sonic blast of air shot out. Inside the house, Riku was thrown to the ground, crashing back into Sora. Right before he fell, he saw the figures outside flying back several feet, the sound boom having been much more powerful from the front. Seeing Axel scramble to his feet, Riku picked himself up as well and reached back for Sora's hand. Grasping it tightly, the smaller hand warm in his own, he ran past Leon and out into the cold air.

Seeing that the black figures were still stunned on the ground, Riku ran along the side of the tree house. He glanced back only once to see Axel right behind them, followed closely behind by Roxas and Aerith as the others poured out of the house to attack the fallen cloaked figures. He noticed that Zexion remained inside, or else, he couldn't see the illusionist coming out.

Riku had just gotten out of sight of the others when a form jumped out from the darkness to block his place. It was that blue wolf, Saix. Nearly tripping over his feet, Riku stumbled to a stop, grunting as Sora ran into his back. In front of them, Saix crouched down low, his lips curling over sharp canines in a fierce warning snarl. Riku could hear Axel and the others come to a halt as the wolf growled low.

Axel spoke up from behind him. "Get out of our way. It's five against one. You've got no chance of winning."

"Are you so sure of your numbers?" A figure stepped out from behind Saix, coming out of the darkness itself. Riku adjusted his grip on his weapon as the man, the voice was too low to be otherwise, took a step closer. A chill came with him, sending a shiver straight through Riku's body. "Perhaps your numbers are not as strong as you would have supposed. Jenovan, I have given you time to think about the agreement I had Xaldin propose to you. Will you come to our side? From what I can see you have been making good use of my gift to you."

Riku's eyes widened slightly. So this was Xemnas then. The Superior. The current leader of the spirit world. Swallowing, Riku pulled himself together and shook his head. "Yeah, I thought about it. And I'm going to have to say no."

"What a shame. And here I thought that you wanted to go back to live among the humans."

"I do. But I swore to be Sora's Guardian and I have never made a promise which I couldn't keep."

"Your father easily broke his oath."

Riku bristled. "I am not my father."

"As I said before; what a shame. Saix!"

Riku let out a shout of surprise as the blue wolf sprang forward, jumping clear over Riku and Sora. Taking his eyes off of Xemnas for a second to see Saix tackle Axel to the ground, Riku let out a shout of surprise when he felt an ice cold cut slice across his arm. Whipping around, he saw Xemnas wielding two red blade-like swords, one of them coming toward his face. Grimacing, he raised Soul Eater just in time to block the attack, already feeling overwhelmed as Xemnas struck again and again. Realization that he was alone against this person settled in, along with the fact that Xemnas was really out to kill him. He wasn't ready for this.

Each time he did manage to get passed the dark spirit's swords, the other would use a Dark Shield to block his blows. Riku himself didn't have the ability to focus quickly enough to call his own Dark Shield between his sword maneuvers, so every blow that Xemnas got through his defenses, he got cut.

He tottered back after a particularly nasty slice across his shoulder; he had managed to twist out of the way of it piercing through his chest but he could still feel the wound bleeding profusely as he tried to lift his sword to block the next volley of Xemnas's attack. He wasn't going to be quick enough though. His arms felt too weak and he had only been fighting for a few minutes. Riku held his breath as the first blow came down onto him.

It never reached him.

Sora had stepped between him and Xemnas, blocking the dark spirit's attack with his Keyblade, the prince standing in a resolutely defensive position as Xemnas pulled back in surprise.

Trying to talk over his pants to pull in a sufficient amount of air, Riku shook his head, Guardian panic beginning to invade his mind. It didn't matter that he was wounded, Sora was not supposed to put himself in danger! "Sora, stay back!"

"No. I'm not letting you fight this on your own, Riku. It's not a fair battle!"

Xemnas smirked, stilling his weapons for the moment. "How intriguing. The prince has to defend his Guardian. You must truly care for Jenovan then, Your Highness. But are you sure you can trust him? Even when even now I can sense that he is being possessed by another dark spirit?"

Riku couldn't see it since Sora was standing in front of him, but he could hear the indignant frown in the prince's reply. "Of course I can trust him! I trust him with my life. It doesn't matter that he's possessed, he's strong enough to fight against it."

"Is he now?" Xemnas lifted his hand, a black glow filling his palm. Riku grabbed for Sora as the marsh around them grew cold and darkened; Xemnas was filling it with dark magic and Sora was beginning to look slightly sick. "I know that sprit is Xehanort's Heartless which I set into the door to guard you. Let us see us see how strong the Jenovan child really is."

As soon as the words left the man's mouth, Xehanort's Heartless reared forward in his mind. Riku winced then gasped as the spirit's victorious laughter filled his head. He tried to fight it as Sora called out to him but the cold power was overwhelming, driving him down to his knees. He had never felt Xehanort's Heartless' power so strongly. In front of them, Xemnas had a cold smile on his face as he watched Sora crouch over a struggling Riku, the cloaked man speaking up as Riku began to tremble. "Xehanort's Heartless. You should remember the task I assigned to you if you were to ever come across His Majesty Prince Sora."

Riku internally cursed as he felt Xehanort's Heartless taking control. He didn't want to know what they had planned for Sora. He had just made his decision to fight along side the prince, he didn't want it to have been the wrong decision. And he didn't want his first time acting as a real Guardian to be such a failure. He had never failed at anything before. His pride wouldn't be able to take it. With the last bit of his strength, he reached out with his left hand, his sword trembling in his right. "Sora. Get out of here."

Sora grabbed his outstretched hand, the prince's glowing softly in an apparent attempt to buffer back the dark magic. "N-No. You can fight it. I'm here for you."

"_Touching, but its too late for the boy. I have been looking forward to this._"

Riku knew that he had lost control to Xemnas, but still, he didn't even feel his arm move. His eyes were on Sora's face, and the first thing he saw were the boy's blue eyes widening as he released a strange choked sound. Almost in slow motion, the glow dimmed around Sora's body and as he slumped down, Riku's eyes traveled down to see Soul Eater jutting out of his side, just below his ribcage.

He could hear Xehanort's Heartless laugh as he faded back into the confines of his subconscious but Riku was in such shock that he could only catch Sora as he fell. The boy's breath was coming out in ragged pants as Riku grabbed onto him, pained gasps escaping him as his fingers clenched onto Riku's shirt. For his own part, Riku felt a wave of nausea welling up inside him, Guardian instincts crying out in a desperate scream.

What had he done?!

Too soon he felt himself pulled away, a frigid hand latching onto his arm as Xemnas's voice hit his ear, the tone far too happy for what had just happened. "As far as I am concerned, our deal still stands, and you will get your end of the bargain. You successfully delivered the princes to me. Saix!"

Riku didn't even know what hit him as he felt a large weight crash against his back. It caused him to black out a second and when he opened his eyes again, he could only stare helplessly at the sight before him.

The marsh was gone.

Sora was gone.

He was back on Destiny Islands, torn up and bloody and sick in his stomach and chest. But he was back.

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	13. Chapter 13

Salve, amici! You dudes did pretty good on the reviews! 22 of them, I am impressed. ;) Without further ado then, here is your reward for your hard work. ^^

Thanks to everyone who took the time to write me a note: DieChan, Chronos Mephistopheles, Reno-is-a-Turk, Ivy J., Dust to Dusk, Wicked the Bones, Aindel S. Druida, Ultima Eagle, NiffStral, XfallenXshadowX, andhearts, Mirror and Darkling, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, A-chan, Purple Sox, Shinimegami7, XxsneakydevxX, CloudedMirror, FlurryDivider, yasu-yasu, Arear, 73n5Hl.

It was fun to read all of the comments, so, thanks! ^^

O

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Chapter 13

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On his hands and his knees, a wave of nausea overwhelmed Riku before he could even get back onto his feet. His head was spinning. The events which had just taken place replaying over and over again in front of his eyes and making him physically sick.

He had hurt Sora.

He might have even killed Sora.

He could still remember in vivid detail how Sora's blood had bled out from the wound. The memory and trace scent of blood still hovering around him sent his queasy stomach over the edge and he just barely managed to pull his hair back before he vomited into the nearest bush. His body trembled as it emptied itself and after coughing up the last of it he could only messily wipe his mouth and try to get his breathing back. But it was as if even his lungs were refusing to work properly after what he had just done.

He was no better than his father after all.

But his father couldn't have felt this much pain after killing the king. The Guardian side of Riku was literally in pain, he could feel the hurt of Sora's wound in his chest. And it was punishing him for his betrayal. His father couldn't have felt this way. To Riku it was as if the world had just ended. Because he was a Guardian and his world was Sora and he had hurt Sora.

Clutching his head, Riku shut his eyes tight and tried to pull himself together, tried to push away the memory of Sora collapsing into his arms. He had to think clearly. He could only be thankful that Xehanort's Heartless was keeping quiet; perhaps Riku's horror had been enough to send the demon back to the confines of his inner mind for the time being.

He needed to get back to the spirit world.

Gritting his teeth, Riku forced himself up onto his knees, wavering a little as he tottered onto his feet. His whole body ached. Not only from the sick feeling of betrayal but from the bloody wounds Xemnas had given him and the general stress of the fight on his muscles. The cuts were freezing cold but he could still feel them bleeding. He knew the more they bled the more trouble he would be in, but he had nothing to stop the bleeding on his person.

Stumbling through the tropical foliage, he slowly started walking in one direction. He had no idea where he was going, but he needed to find help. He had expected to be walking through the rainforest-like flowers and trees for a while, so was surprised when his foot landed on something hard and flat. Stepping through the last bit of tall flowered bushes, he found himself standing on a road.

The black tar of the road looked foreign to him. It seemed like it had been forever since he had seen an actual road. A cracked laugh spilt passed his lips when he looked down the street to see the same tunnel which Axel had led him through to bring him to the spirit world. He was less than five feet from where his car had stalled. Shit, it was like the entire thing had been a dream. If it wasn't for his wounds and his shattered state of mind, he would have thought that it really had been all just been some disturbing hallucination.

Speaking of his wounds, he was beginning to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. Riku let out a quivering breath then slowly lowered himself down onto the side of the road as his vision swam in front of him. He could feel himself losing consciousness. His thoughts were becoming more disconnected, less coherent. But he needed to find someone that could get him back to the spirit world.

As he sat down onto the ground he wiped a layer of cold sweat from his forehead. He just needed a moment. Just a few minutes to rest, to get his energy back.

Screw it, he had to face facts. He was fainting. He could only hope that someone would drive by.

He had only closed his eyes for what felt like a few minutes before he heard a strange roaring noise. It took his slowing mind a few moments to realize that it was actually the sound of a car. He wasn't used to that sound anymore. How long had he been in the spirit world?

The roar became louder followed by a metallic slam. A car door opening?

A few seconds later footsteps were crunching along the blacktop. Then Riku felt a shadow crouch over his face.

"Riku?! Oh man, Riku! Selphie, get out of the car and get over here!"

He knew that voice. It was one of the people that hung around him in high school. What was his name? He had said Selphie. That name rung a bell.

"Oh my god, it's Riku! What happened to him?"

Tidus. That was his name. He played on the blitzball team in their high school. He and his girlfriend Selphie hung out in his group. He had never bothered to pay them much attention before but he was glad to hear them now.

"I don't know."

Riku felt himself wince as fingers peeled back his shirt from the bad wound on his shoulder.

"Shit, he's completely covered in blood. We've got to get him to a hospital!"

Riku would have loved to hear the rest of the conversation, but he couldn't hold on to his unraveling consciousness anymore. As he slipped into blackness, he felt hands picking him up.

When he came to again, the first thing Riku heard was a soft rhythmic beeping. Shifting, his eyebrows furrowed when he felt a slight twinge on his arm. His eyes blinked open to see that he was lying in a small cot. The beeping was from a machine hooked up to his finger, recording his heartbeat. The twinge was an IV in his arm. The rest of his arm was covered in bandages that ran across his chest and onto his other arm. They really had brought him to the hospital.

He blinked as the sunlight from the open window hit his eyes. It had been so long since he had seen sunlight that the bright glare of the Destiny Island sun nearly instantly blinded him.

"Riku…you're awake."

Riku blinked, his eyes slowly shifting over to the door of his room to see Namine. He blinked again, just to make sure that he really was seeing his little sister. Just as it seemed strange to see a road again, it was strange to see a member of his family again. Especially after having learned everything he now knew. Actually, he still knew nothing about Namine. She looked the same as ever in her favorite white dress, although now her delicate features held a small frown, but he still felt strangely detached and alienated now. Despite this new revelation though, he still was relieved to see her, even if their perfect family history and actual family really were just well-orchestrated hoaxes.

"Nami…"

She walked over to his bedside, her small hand reaching up to stroke his bangs back from his forehead. "Father went on a business trip so I was the one who received the phone call. Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz were asleep, but I felt obliged to leave them a note about it and to call Father. He's probably on his way here as we speak."

Riku closed his eyes, letting out a low sigh and leaning back onto the small hospital pillow. The fake paper fabric was worse than the itchy wool blankets at the palace.

"You and Axel have been missing for three days now. Your abandoned car caused quite a stir among everyone here on the island. You're probably going to be facing a lot of questions."

Riku snorted, turning his head to the side. "Whatever. I'm used to being the center of attention. I'll manage."

Namine pursed her lips, her fingers curling away from Riku's skin to rest against her chest. At the loss of touch, Riku lifted his gaze to her face. Their eyes met. For what might have been the first time, Riku saw absolutely no family resemblance between the two of them. He could sense her difference; she wasn't a dark elemental. As he scanned her features for any traces of familiarity, she tilted her head to the side then murmured gently. "Riku…you really have been through a lot, haven't you? How much do you know?"

"Enough." He paused, his eyes dropping back down to his sheets. He couldn't even imagine how it must have been for Namine, living with the Jenovan family. "…I'm sorry."

Her eyes widened but just as she was about to reply, the door to his room burst open to reveal Kairi, Tidus and Selphie close at the redhead heels. When she caught sight of him lying on the cot, she teared up then ran to his side. "Oh my god, Riku! You're okay! Everyone was so worried!"

Riku flinched as she grabbed his hand. She felt so…human. He had never noticed it before, but after having lived completely among spirits, the lack of magic inside her was obvious. She still looked cute, but she, Tidus, and Selphie appeared almost dull. Their features lacked a certain gleam, they had no real presence. Maybe that was why he had never paid much attention to any of them before.

"-Riku!"

"Hm?" Riku blinked, coming back to focus on Kairi as her brows drew together with concern.

"I asked if you were okay…?"

"Sorry, I'm fine." He really didn't want to deal with Kairi right now. Before, he would have probably smirked and grabbed her close for a kiss, but now, the thought of kissing her only made him queasy. It wasn't her, it was just that, when he thought about it, his mind flashed to thoughts of kissing Sora. And thinking about Sora instantly sent a jolt of anxious panic through his body. Hearing his heart monitor speed up to shrill beeps, Riku forced himself to take a deep breath to calm himself. When he opened his eyes, he managed to send Kairi a thin smile. "Hey, Kai, can you, Tidus and Selphie give me a second? I need to talk to my sister about something."

"A-Alright. I'm really happy to have you back though. I'll come back a little while later, if you want."

"Sure."

Kairi looked a little lost but when Namine straightened up a little, she seemed to snap out of her daze. Giving Riku a little smile, she clenched her hands to her chest, paused, then walked out of the room. As she and the others left, Riku let out a small groan and pushed himself up into a sitting position. Namine was instantly at his side to help him sit up. "Careful. You've lost a lot of blood."

"And you don't know a simple Cure spell?"

Namine started for a second then smiled, her amusement reaching all the way to her eyes. "It has been a while, so I would be a little rusty. Besides, it would only confuse the doctor's if you were suddenly perfectly healed."

"True." With a soft frown, Riku reached down to rub his bandaged arm. The cuts hurt and itched; it had been a long time since they hadn't just been healed up in seconds. His senses weren't used to the throbbing pain of recovery any more. Glancing up at Namine, he saw that she had a strange expression on her face. His frown deepened. "What are you staring at me for?"

"You're very different." Crossing her legs delicately, Namine tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I know that time stretches differently between the two worlds, but to us here, it seems as though you have changed a lot in only a few days."

"What are you talking about?"

"You've grown up, Riku. I've never heard you apologize and just now you said 'sorry' twice in only a few minutes. Even your face is more mature." She giggled lightly. "I think we're all wondering where your ego went!"

"It was beaten out me every damn day I was there." He scowled then reached out to grab her hand. "You need to help me get back, Namine. I have unfinished business there."

"What happened?"

"Our party was attacked. And I," he swallowed. "I hurt Sora. I can't leave it like that. I need to get back."

"The Prince is still alive?" Namine smiled happily when Riku nodded sullenly. The prince had been alive anyway, though maybe not after what he had done. Damn. If Sora was dead then he was going to go insane. "That's wonderful news!"

It was strange talking to Namine about this stuff. Actually, they had never really talked about anything for so long. He had always just left her in her little fairy-tale world. But now he was part of that world. It was kind of nice to finally be able to understand her, in a strange sort of way. Now that he knew what she was talking about, she was actually interesting to talk to now.

"It's not so wonderful if I ended up killing him." With a sigh, Riku looked down at his hands. He swore he could still see traces of blood on them.

"I'm sure that he is not dead. Undoubtedly you would have felt it by now. The pain would have probably been far worse."

With a frown, Riku's eyes shot back up to Namine's face. "Tell me what happened when Father killed the old king then."

Namine sighed. "Riku…it wasn't the same then." When Riku failed to avert his languid stare she knit her fingers together. "I don't know the whole story, all I can tell you is what I saw. I was a young member of the royal court and so at the time I was with the two young princes. Ah, you were with us that night too."

"I was?"

"Yes, though you wouldn't remember it. Sephiroth suddenly burst into the play room. He was bloody. He was in a hurry, but calm. He grabbed you then took me too at the last second. I didn't really know what was going on, but somehow he gathered your brothers and then made me make a portal to this world. Later on, after everything settled down, he had me change your memories, because you were young enough to have a cloudy memory anyway." She sighed then leaned forward, resting her fingers on his forehead. "I apologize for that."

"Why would he do that?"

Namine shook her head. "I couldn't tell you that. I only did as told, because that's all I could do. And I thought it would be better for you…not to have to carry those memories."

Riku shook his head, letting out a deep breath. "So we kidnapped you and then my father threatened you into doing his bidding. That's why my brother's never acknowledge you, because they know who you are, that you aren't a member of the family." He paused for a moment as realization hit. "Father needed you to make a portal because he couldn't. You're an animal sprit then."

Nodding almost shyly, Namine wrapped a strand of her blond hair around her finger. "Yes. Arctic fox spirit to be precise."

"Then you can open a portal back to the spirit world!"

She bit her lip in concern. "I'm afraid that it's more complicated than that. I've been in the human world for too long and nearly all of my power was taken when I brought your whole family here in the first place. I nearly killed myself trying to refix your memories…the best I could do for you would be to find the portal, but I don't think that I have the capacity to get you through."

"That's fine. I can get through the portal myself. I only need you to open it."

Namine smiled a little though it was a sad expression. "I'm not sure that you could manage to travel through the portal yourself, but I have a feeling that you will not have it any other way." She swallowed then leaned over and took his hand. "Once you have recovered from the blood loss, we can check you out and try to find a portal. But I won't have you moving about until then, do you understand me?"

Riku tisked, a twitch of a smile flickering onto his face. "What are you, my mother?"

"Well someone has to take care of you. And since the butler isn't allowed to take care of you in the hospital, I suppose that I'm just going to have to stay with you to make sure you don't go running off before you're properly healed. After all, someone half-dead wouldn't be much use to anyone in trouble."

"I guess I have no choice but to rest then."

"No, I don't think you have a choice. Get some sleep. In a few hours you should be fully recovered."

The advice sounded good to him, so he dutifully slipped back into the paper-covered cot. As he got comfortable, Namine stood up. "Hey, before you go, shut the blinds. That sun is blinding."

"Hm, and it's cloudy today too. But alright. I'll tell Kairi and the others that you're resting as well." She pulled the blinds shut then walked over to the door. She paused at the door, her fingers on the handle. "Riku. I really was worried about you, so I'm glad to see that you did well in that world. I wasn't sure if you would. I suppose I should have had more faith in you but I'll make sure to help you get back to the spirit world to make up for it. So get some sleep, we'll help Prince Sora and the others then."

Riku nodded. He really was still feeling weak, hell, sitting up had been hard enough. And the more that he rested, the sooner he could get back to the spirit world. The sooner he could get back to Sora and the others. He needed to know that he still had another chance to make up for his mistakes. Letting out a sigh, he slowly felt himself fall back asleep, the steady beating of the heart monitor lulling him to sleep.

"…_Riku."_

_Riku frowned, turning around. He was surrounded by pure darkness. He couldn't even see his hands in front of his face. But that had been Sora's voice. Relief flooded his body. _

_Sora was alive._

_He had never felt more relieved in his life._

"_Riku!"_

"_Sora?!"_

_Riku ran blindly toward the sound of Sora's voice. He had to find Sora. Suddenly he tripped over something hard, sending him tumbling to the ground. Letting out a low curse, he drew himself back up onto his hands and knees, shaking his head to clear it before he heard a soft whimper to his side. "Is…is that you, Riku?"_

"_Yeah, it's me." Reaching out, Riku touched the thing he had tripped over. It felt like a leg. His voice was hoarse as he fumbled blindly, stopping when he found Sora's face. He clearly remembered the feel of the prince's soft skin. What he wasn't used to feeling was two damp tear lines training down Sora's cheeks. "Are you okay?"_

"_I don't know. You, you disappeared then everything went dark. I can't even move! I'm so scared about what happened to everyone else!"_

_Frowning, Riku clumsily wiped at Sora's tears. "I'm sorry."_

"_No, this wasn't your fault!" Sora said it so emphatically that Riku almost laughed. He swallowed it though, because it probably would have sounded a little hysterical. Sora really was too trusting for his own good. "It was Xemnas, and Xehanort's Heartless. I know that it wasn't you…" Sora trailed off for a moment then murmured quietly. "Where did they take you, Riku?"_

"_Back to the human world. I'm in a hospital right now."_

"_Are you okay?!"_

_Swallowing, Riku brushed his thumb against Sora's chin in order to orientate himself to where the prince actually was in the pitch black. "I'm fine. I just bled out a little. I'd be more worried about you and your wound." _

"_I can't even feel it, so it's fine."_

_Couldn't feel it? That wasn't good. He didn't want to think about that wound though. Maybe it was a good thing that they were surrounded by blackness after all. Thinking about it brought back images of. Soul Eater dug deep into the prince's side. He was starting to get sick a second time. He never wanted to touch that cursed sword again. "You really can't move though? Do you have any idea where you are?"_

"_No, I can't move. I've tried really hard, but I'm either tied up or, or, something else. I don't quite know where we are. It's so dark though, the dark magic must be really strong. I can't even shed a bit of light. I hate this, the dark's really heavy. I've, I've never been afraid of it before, but I don't know anymore. It would be better if I just knew where everyone else was."_

"_Hey, it's going to be okay. I'm coming to find you." Leaning forward, Riku pecked Sora on the lips. Just the slight touch sent a trill down his spine. "I promise. I'm going to make this up to you. Stay strong and wait for me."_

"_A-Alright. I'm counting on you, Riku. Please."_

"_I know. I'll come as soon as I can." Riku frowned as he felt a twinge in the back of his mind. He was waking up again. With a soft hiss, Riku paused then leaned forward again, pressing their lips together. He was starting to get addicted to the feel of the prince's lips, and couldn't help but move closer, trying to memorize that taste of Sora's lips. And with his eyes closed, it didn't even matter that it was pitch black…wait. Sensing a light on his eyelids, he opened his eyes to see Sora's face glowing in front of him, the light just enough to cut a few inches into the darkness to illuminate his head and shoulders. Smiling, Riku tapped Sora's forehead, making the prince's eyes flutter open. "See, it's not hopeless. You just needed a little…encouragement."_

_Sora blushed before his eyes suddenly widened. "Riku, you're disappearing!"_

"_I'm probably waking up. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."_

_The last thing he saw was Sora giving a small nod before he was whisked back into the blackness._

Riku woke up to a darkened hospital room. He had been sleeping for a few hours then. As he gathered his thoughts from that last dream, his gaze landed on a shadowed form leaning over the foot of his bed. Too used to Heartless, he gave a start of surprise and sprung back, fists tightening and ready for an attack when the shadowy figure straightened up and reached for him. "Wait, Riku, its okay, it's just me!"

Pausing, he narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Kairi?"

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you like that!" Kairi walked around to the side of his cot for the light switch and a second later, artificial lighting lit the room. It really was Kairi. The girl looked mortified as she clutched her hands together. "It's just, you were sleeping and I didn't want to bother you with the light so I kept it off!"

Riku let out a long breath of relief, his hand unclenching as he relaxed. He had almost been able to feel the weight of Soul Eater in his hand. And right after he had decided not to use it anymore. It really was too instinctual. Running his fingers through his hair, which he was disgusted to find felt slightly tangled and dirty, he glanced up at her. "It's alright, I just wasn't expecting anyone to be here."

Kairi nodded, her cheeks tinting pink. "Namine said she had to leave for a few minutes, but the doctors let me stay because…because I'm your girlfriend. I, I really missed you, Riku." She leaned down and pressed a light kiss to his lips.

The kiss felt like all of their kisses usually felt, but he lightly pushed her away anyway. Something was definitely missing. Her lips were soft but they didn't quite fit right to his, not like Sora's did anyway. The contact didn't send a spark through him either, it just sort of happened. Damn, he really had it bad for that little prince of light. "Kai…wait."

"What's wrong, Riku?"

Riku sat forward, pursing his lips together. It's not that he had never done this before, but usually he had long gotten tired of his girlfriend before this moment had to come. He almost felt a little guilty. "We can't do this anymore, Kairi."

"What?"

"I can't date you anymore. I'm sorry." He glanced up at her to see that she was staring at him with a strange expression on her face. "It wasn't anything you did. I just…don't want to force myself to continue a relationship that was going to end badly anyway."

"So…you're dumping me because you still like me?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Don't worry about it though. You'll find another boyfriend in no time, someone who can actually treat you right."

Kairi bit her lip, tears beginning to collect in her violet eyes. She sniffed lightly then shook her head. "What happened to you Riku?"

"Hm?"

She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to stop her crying. "You're so different. Ever since you came back, you've acted strangely. I, I can't even imagine what you went though, and I know Namine told me not to ask you about it, but truthfully, I-I was kind of happy when I saw you a few hours ago. That's really awful, right? But you just seemed so much softer when you looked at me. I guess I was hoping to help you through this or something, and get to know this new you better, even though I knew I wasn't that special to you." Taking in a shaky breath, she visibly pulled herself together as well as she could and nodded. "This, this is good though. Whatever happened, I think you became a better person for it. Now you can start over, right?"

"That's right." Riku looked at her face closely for any hint of malice. There was none, only a sad resignation. She really was a good girl. And strong. "I'm sorry, Kairi."

"I knew it was going to come sooner or later. I suppose it's good that it happened while you still liked me enough to apologize." She smiled shakily. "I knew coming into this that our relationship wouldn't last long. I wish it could have lasted longer but…I can't say that it wasn't unexpected." Reaching down, she caressed his cheek tenderly. "But when you do find that person you want to stay with, I want you to introduce them to me, okay? Promise me that and we'll be okay."

"I'll try my best to arrange it."

"Okay." She sniffed then nodded again, more resolutely this time. "I'll keep you to your word then."

Riku looked down his sheets then back up at her. "In the meantime, can you go get Namine for me? I need to get out of this room before I go insane."

She shook her head, her lips pulling up at the corners in a sad amusement. "You're so demanding. But, okay. I'll go call her."

As soon as Kairi had left the room, Riku sat up all the way, tossing his covers back. In a second, he had pulled his heart monitoring device off of his finger and shut the machine off so that it wouldn't sound any alarm when the monitor flat lined. With a wince, he pulled out his IV next, holding his thumb over the bit of blood coming up to stop the flow. Taking a breath, he then slipped out of bed, a little unsteady for a moment before he regained his footing. He was healthy enough; he didn't have enough time to rest any longer anyway.

"Riku! What are you doing?"

Riku turned to see Namine in the doorway, her eyes wide before she hurried forward to support his arm. Snorting, he shook her off. "I'm fine, I'm standing up on my own, aren't I? Why did you leave the room?"

"What, I have to look after you all the time?" When Riku only sneered, Namine smiled a little, though her eyes were still a little worried. "But if you must know, I was taking a chance to call home while you rested."

"Home?" Riku's expression hardened. "Why? What's happening at home?"

"The butler told me that your brothers had already left the house. They were dressed in their usual clubbing outfits, but I think we should still be careful. If you really think that you're recovered, we should probably leave."

Riku nodded then looked down at his body and flushed. He was dressed in a hospital gown. At least he was slim enough to have it wrap all the way around him. But his pale skin did not look good in baby blue hospital gown. "Namine," he ground out.

"Yes?"

"Go find my clothes."

She giggled, "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice. While I do that, your should hit the bathroom. Your face is dirty and your hair could use a good wash."

Riku paled and hurried to the bathroom adjacent to his room. A quick look in the mirror sent him scrambling for the sink; how long had it been since he had had a decent bath anyway? That swim he had taken to save Sora did not count. If there was one thing he missed about this world, it was shampoo. Sure, Demyx had had soap, but it was some hard chuck of pressed herbs and god-only-knows-what.

Splashing his face, he quickly wet his hair down, combing his fingers through to get rid of the tangles. It had actually been a while since he had seen his reflection in a good mirror. Frowning, Riku leaned over the sink, inspecting himself. His hair had grown out a little, his bangs were almost completely covering his eyes. It also looked as if he had gotten paler, though that was to be expected when his skin hadn't seen light for weeks. Pursing his lips, he straightened back up, trying to see what the others meant when they said he looked different. He didn't see any change. Perhaps he was a little more self-aware of himself, but really, he didn't see what all of the fuss was about.

"Riku!"

Riku straightened up at the anxious cry, senses immediately peaked as he shook his wet hands off and ran out of the bathroom. What he didn't expect was to get a face-full of a new pair of pants and shirt. The next second, he felt Namine's hands undoing his hospital gown. "Hey, watch it!"

She ignored his outburst and pressed a pair of shoes into his hands. "This is really bad, we need to hurry!"

Pulling on his pants before the hospital gown dropped off, Riku shook out his shirt, just barely taking the time to not that she must have brought a new set of his clothes from the house. "What's the matter?"

"Your brothers are trying to get visitor passes!"

"What?"

"I saw them talking to the receptionist desk. I don't think they saw me but they'll be here in a matter of seconds!"

Cursing, unzipped his shirt, actually, it was more of a vest than a shirt. He was definitely going to be freezing when he went back to the spirit world. But there was no time for a wardrobe change, they had to leave now. He quickly slipped on his shoes and tied the laces, enjoying the feel of a new pair of shoes after walking around in his old pair for so long.

Once he was fully dressed, Namine grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room. She seemed to know where she was going as she tugged him down the hall. "We'll try to go the long way to the exit-"

Her voice cut off with a gasp as a black shape flashed passed them. Riku pulled her back to him as Loz suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Well, well, Ri-ku. Where have you been the last few days?"

Riku spun around to see Kadaj right behind him, Yazoo standing just at his shoulder. Grimacing, he backed Namine up against a wall, blocking her from his brothers. He threw out his arms to protect her as Kadaj chuckled low. "So defensive. It's almost as if he thinks we'll hurt him, isn't it, Loz?"

The largest of his brothers chuckled. "Yeah."

"But why would we hurt our dear baby brother?"

"Leave us alone, Kadaj."

"Oh, he's talking back to us now." Kadaj sauntered forward a few steps, his eyes brightening with a strange glint as his voice lowered to a cold whisper. "I know where you've been. I can feel the magic on you now." He grabbed Riku's arm hard, fingers tightening over still-healing cuts. Riku hissed as Kadaj leaned closer. "How does it feel, Riku, to know you have dark magic? To know that you're better than those disgusting humans? To know just how much we could hurt you if we actually tried?"

Riku's breath caught in his throat as black sparks rippled over Kadaj's arm, the chill of dark magic washing over him as they hit his skin. "Don't be an idiot, Kadaj, we're in public. Don't make a scene."

"I can make a scene if I please. No one will say a thing against it." That certainly was true. The Jenovan's held the power on Destiny Islands, and no one would dare to interfere with an internal fight. "In fact I think we should teach a lesson as to how to respect your elder brothers. Loz."

Loz cracked his knuckles, dark sparks shooting off of his fists. There was just a second's warning, a shift of his feet, before the burly Jenovan rushed forward. After having trained so long with Cloud though, Riku caught the giveaway movement and he threw his hands in front of his face. "Dark Shield!"

The magic felt different rushing through his body in this world, almost more resistant, but the shield managed to form in time to rebuff the punch. Crying out as his fist hit the shield, Loz shook his hand out, falling back as Kadaj strode forward, anger clear on his pretty face.

"You think we're playing around here? A mere Dark Shield isn't going to stop us. Just because you've learned a few tricks, it doesn't mean that you have skills even close to ours. We've lived with our magic for years, we were the top of our ranks at the palace."

The hallway around them had darkened at this point as all three of his brothers surrounded him and Namine. Riku stood his ground, he had no where to run anyway, so he might as well fight back until the end. "They must have forgotten to make loyalty part of your training then."

Kadaj's face contorted with anger. "Who needs loyalty when you can have power, you little brat!" As he pulled his hand back, a glowing black orb formed in his palm. Bringing his hand down onto the shield, the orb came into direct contact with the shield and shattered it on impact. Riku didn't even have time to think before the wind was knocked out of him from a fierce blow to the stomach by Loz. He would have collapsed onto the ground if Kadaj hadn't caught him by the collar, dragging him close to his face.

"You're not so mighty as you think, _baby_ brother. I could kill you with the snap of my fingers."

Grimacing, Riku grasped at Kadaj's hands. "…Sure. It's easy to fight when it's three against one. Coward."

"Why you-!"

"Kadaj."

Time seemed to freeze at the deep voice. Then, Riku's head turned to the sound of the voice as Kadaj released him with a fierce scowl. Their father was standing in the hall, dressed in his business clothes and a trench-coat, his expression hard and unreadable. Riku swallowed, his eyes scanning his father's imposing appearance. So this was the man who had killed Sora's father. Who betrayed his Guardian instincts and had actually killed his charge.

Riku had never been more angry nor frightened of his father.

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	14. Chapter 14

Woot! 20 reviews! I love when it gets to 20 and higher, makes me super-excited. 'Cause I know I'm loved! ^^ Anyway, here's Chapter 14 for you guys. Goodness, the stories going by so fast. I've got to thank all of you guys who are sticking around for the ride too! Repeat reviewers and new faces are all equally cool (though its especially fun to have people routinely review because it feels as if we kinda get to know each other that way, fun stuff!)

So yeah, thanks to all you awesome readers: Taryn Eithne, Ryuacchi, XxsneakydevxX, andhearts, Kujari, DieChan, FlurryDivider, Shinimegami7, 73n5Hl, Chaotic Darkness, Dust to Dusk, Aindel S. Druida, TOC, Reno-is-a-Turk, CloudedMirror, Mirror and Darkling, Ultima Eagle, NarusaS, XfallenXshadowX, Twilight Emo Wind Goddess 801. Your kind words keep me going. ;)

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Chapter 14

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Not even looking at Riku, Sephiroth stared evenly at his older boys, his sharp gaze falling to each of them at their name, "Kadaj. Yazoo. Loz. Back to the house."

Kadaj released a small noise of disappointed disgust but when their father's eyes narrowed at the slight sound of disobedience, he stepped away from Riku, his clenched fists falling to his sides. "Don't think this is over just because Father came in to save you, Riku. You may think you're something special, but you're not. You are and always will be weaker than any one of us so long as you put mindless loyalty before nature's hierarchy."

"Kadaj, enough."

Kadaj visibly flinched at the tone of the voice. Even Riku could feel some amount of sympathy. He had been called out by their father for doing something he disapproved of three times in the last few minutes. This was probably the first time Kadaj had misbehaved so badly; unfortunately that in itself attested to how much hatred he actually had for Riku.

After a few tense seconds, Kadaj finally huffed and crossed his arms, his expression relaxing into an annoyed irritation. "Fine. Yazoo, Loz, let's get back to the house. The stench of human illness was starting to make me sick to my stomach anyway."

Yazoo and Loz glanced at each other but followed their younger brother down the hall, leaving Riku and Namine to their father. The dark magic that Kadaj had emitted was still hovering in the air like a thick mist around them, a heavy black cloud that did nothing to soothe the tension that the three young men had left behind. Riku felt Namine grasp the back of his shirt. That's right, he was the only thing standing between Namine and the man who had basically kidnapped her. Taking a cautious breath, Riku straightened up as well as he could, one hand moving up to massage his neck as he met his father's gaze. "Father."

Sephiroth's expression didn't change as he took in Riku's appearance, so his next words somewhat surprised Riku. "Have your injuries healed properly?"

Riku frowned with confusion, his shoulders lowering slightly from his defensive position. "What?"

"You weren't scheduled to leave the hospital for another day. Are you well enough to move around?"

Riku broke his gaze with his father to look down at his arms which were still wrapped up in bandages beneath his vest. "I'm…I've healed enough, well enough to put up a decent fight anyway."

"Honestly, Riku," his father sighed and crossed his arms. His expression looked strangely exasperated, Riku had never seen him look so…well, human. "Do you imagine me so heartless as to lift a hand against my injured child?"

Well, when he put it like that…no, Riku supposed a father wouldn't usually hurt their kids, but this was a unique sort of situation. Riku's frown deepened, "I would say no but I know what you did in the spirit world. If Guardian bonds mean so little to you than I don't think blood would really mean anything either."

Septhiroth's eyes narrowed. Before Riku knew what was happening, his father had a tight hold of his shoulder and was leading him back into his hospital room. "H-Hey!"

"Namine, wait outside."

With this last order, Sephiroth pulled Riku into his hospital room then closed the door behind them. The last thing Riku saw was Namine's worried face before he was alone with his father. He knew that he had provoked his anger. So why did he feel more like a misbehaving child than a person who was facing the man who killed the former king?

"Sit down, Riku, we need to talk."

Riku dutifully sat down on the cot which he had been recently occupying. No matter how much he had been trained as a warrior in the spirit world, any ability to fight back against his father drained away at the first order. It was infuriatingly frustrating, but obedience toward his father had been too far engrained into his brain. In that respect, the only thing which saved his dignity during his teenage years was the fact that his father had rarely been home.

Sephiroth sighed again then removed his trench coat, draping it over the side of the cot before he sat down in the cheap barely-padded chair which was set up beside the cot, the same one Kairi had been sitting in before. He still managed to look dignified though, as always, he took control of and owned any room which he entered. Once Riku was settled, Sephiroth sighed and ran a hand through his long silver bangs. "I will not be spoken to as such when I worried so much after hearing that you had gone missing."

Once again, his father's words surprised him. "You…were worried?"

Sephiroth frowned. "When my youngest son, still a minor, has not been seen for twenty-four hours after having gone to the mall, of course I would have been concerned. Your brothers are responsible for and can defend themselves, but as a good-looking and wealthy teenager, you could have been in any amount of danger. Even kidnapping would be one of the better possible situations."

Riku had to snort at this. He had been kidnapped actually.

Sephiroth didn't bother to acknowledge the sound, too dignified for that. "Unfortunately there was a storm in Twilight Town where I was doing business and as such the airports were shut down. By the time I could arrange for a flight I had already been notified that you had been found and had been sent to this hospital." He laced his fingers together and leaned forward. "The possibility that you had been taken to the spirit world did not fully occur to me until the plane flight back. It was a reasonable option owing to the fact that you had been found so close to where you had last been seen and yet a thorough search of the area had not produced you before that time."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, about all of this, about what we are? Hell, why did you even erase my memories in the first place? Kadaj and the others still remember everything!"

"You were still a young child when those events occurred. I didn't want you to be burdened with something which you had no control over. Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz had been old enough to make their own decision about the matter, but you were innocent of it all. I believed that giving you a normal life, even if that was to raise you as a human, was better than growing up in a world of alienation. I still believe it was the right decision, though this certainly wasn't how I would have had you learn of your true heritage. Especially since you seem to have learned your hatred from someone still loyal to the old regime."

"Loyal to the old regime? There is no 'new' regime, just some bastard who's destroying everything. Why did you even go along with that?!"

"I realize that it is difficult to understand the rationalizations of the enemy, but I can say that the takeover seemed to be the best option. The King was trying to fix society too quickly. His marriage to a flower spirit caused more contestation amongst the nobles than even he knew about. Although the lower class was happy with him, the aristocracy was on the brink of civil war. Xemnas felt that a new hierarchy needed to be reinstated before complete chaos broke out."

"So you killed the King?!" Riku balled his hands into fists, digging them into his lap. "I know what it feels like to be a Guardian, Father. If you were really the king's Guardian, how could you do that? Didn't you feel like you were dying? Or were you really so numb by then that you didn't even feel anything?"

Sephiroth's eyes closed as he massaged his temples. His expression was one that Riku had never seen before on his father's face. Well, he had never seen his father emotional at all, so knowing that he could show something akin to…regret, was nothing short of unsettling. Riku had been able to hate him when he thought his father was nothing but a cold bastard. "Zack's death…is my one regret about the matter. The situation became out of hand. His pride did not allow him to back down, and one of us had to die that night. It was only by chance that mine was the finishing blow. He was an excellent fighter…I had taught him well." He paused for a moment then lowered his hands, his expression once again composed. "It was painful, but I managed to revive myself after a few minutes. After his death, my only thought was to collect my family and to leave as fast as I could. What Xemnas did after that was not my concern."

Riku could only stare at his father. It wasn't fair. His father couldn't make himself out to be an empathetic character. The dark spirits were the bad guys, they were evil. They had destroyed the lives of not only everyone in the palace but also the entire world. No rationale should have been able to explain any of their atrocities, and no excuse should have given Sephiroth the right to have killed the king than run. But, when he thought about it, Sephiroth had sacrificed using his magic, and had apparently stopped his brothers from using theirs, in order to give him a "normal" human childhood. He had integrated with the human world instead; he had actually become a real businessman. How could he hate someone who did that for him?

Damn, he really had changed in the spirit world if he was thinking about this so much.

Riku sullenly glanced over to his father. "Why did you kidnap Namine?"

"She was the closest animal spirit at the time, and I knew her studies focused around memory-altering spells. She only became your supposed sister as a reason to explain her existence in our household." The indifferent way in which he spoke of Namine told Riku that his father at least still had some prejudice against animal spirits. At least he could dislike him for that. Sitting back, Sephiroth eyed his son closely. "Now, you said you knew how it felt to be a Guardian. Your memories of your early years have been completely lost, so you must have come into contact with young Prince Sora."

Riku tossed his hair over his shoulder. "Yeah, we found him and Roxas. Aerith too. And Cloud. The world is really messed up though, so they want to take control back. And I need to go back to help them. I think Sora's in real trouble, and I'm not going to abandon him. I don't care what you say, I will find a way back to the spirit world."

Sephiroth stared at him, his blue eyes on his pale face boring into his very soul. Riku held his gaze though; he wasn't going to back down on this. He was going to help Sora even if it killed him, even if his father killed him right now to stop him. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Sephiroth frowned. "I see. You were always willful, it is a characteristic which is unfortunately prevalent in this family. If the only way to keep you here would be to forcibly restrain you, then I have no other choice than to allow you to do as you please."

"What? You'd let me do that?"

"I swore to cut all ties with the spirit world, so it doesn't concern me whether or not Xemnas retains his power. In any case, my intention was never to send that world into ruin. If life is truly so unbearable, then Xemnas's grand dream has failed and he should be justly punished for his failures." Sephiroth frowned thoughtfully, "Besides, if I kept you here you're brothers would undoubtedly attack you as soon as my gaze was distracted elsewhere."

"Yeah, why do they hate me so much?"

"Jealousy. It was a surprise to all of us that the youngest of the Jenovans was assigned to the most important station of Guardian of the Crown Prince. Kadaj especially is most bitter. Only days before the pregnancy was announced, he was assigned to be Lord Cloud's Guardian. It was our attempt to give him at least someone of high rank to protect; it was not ideal, but he demanded to be given some assignment. It enraged him that he could have served directly under the Crown Prince if he had only held out for a few more days."

Riku leaned back into the cot. So that was why his brothers were always tormenting him? Because they were jealous of that? That was somewhat disturbing, but at the same time, it made Riku smirk a little. He had had an upper-hand on Kadaj and the others all this time, and he hadn't even known it. That made him feel pretty good, a definite sense of superiority anyway.

He couldn't help but snicker as he hopped to his feet. "I never really pegged him as being the insecure type. I feel honored now to have gotten the job. But you're really not going to try to stop me?"

"I already said I wouldn't."

Riku gave him a sideways glance then shrugged. "Okay, then I'll go."

His fear of his father had long since dwindled during their conversation. This was in fact probably the longest he had ever talked to his father. He had never even known that Sephiroth had the capacity to talk for so long. It made sense as he was a respectable businessman, but through all his high school years, Sephiroth had never really talked to him for that long. And all that time, his father had only ever been looking out for him.

Sticking his hands into his pants pocket, Riku headed for the door. If they were done with this conversation, then he was going to take Namine and find a spirit portal. He froze in his tracks when he felt a sudden burst of cold against his back, his eyes widening when a flash of silver crossed over his shoulder. It was the end of a sword.

For a moment, Riku was frozen. His breath seemed to stop in his throat. Then, slowly, he turned around to see his father, standing upright and glowing black, a long sword balanced easily in his right hand, his ice blue eyes narrowed. He looked invincible and ready to kill.

Paling, Riku clenched his shaking hands to his side. "F-Father?"

"Did you think I would not act, that I would just let you leave the room?" His expression was emotionless as the sword point moved from over Riku's shoulder to pointing at his throat as Riku backed up against the door, his back hitting it with a dull thud.

His father was going to kill him.

"Did you think I would not notice? I have not been gone from the spirit world for so long that I would not remember the stench of tainted magic."

Riku's brow knit together with confusion as his panicked mind tried to make sense of his father's words. A separate part of his consciousness was twisting about uncomfortably, making it hard to think. "What are you talking about? My magic isn't tainted!"

"Release my son from your grip, or I will destroy you, Xehanort's Heartless."

Riku gasped as a rush of cold washed over him, a splitting headache cutting through his head as he felt Xehanort's Heartless rise to the forefront of his mind, apparently ready for battle. He felt his fingers twitching by some other commanding force, Xehanort's Heartless' power, fists unclenching to call Soul Eater to his side.

Sephiroth apparently caught the slight movement because his lips twitched into a frown. "I gave you proper warning." He didn't even have to say the spell out loud or make a movement with his hand. In the blink of an eye, two dark spheres of energy materialized from thin air then flew toward Riku. He threw his arms up to defend himself, felt his lips calling out for a Dark Shield but the flares easily broke through and crashed into him. They were painful, but the healing kind of pain, like fixing a broken bone. In the same way, pain pulsed through his body as both flares hit, but immediately afterward Riku felt lighter, Xehanort's Heartless's grip on his body much weaker than before.

Sephiroth took no time to rejoice in the direct hits but in one graceful move adjusted his grip on his sword then plunged the glowing black blade into Riku's chest.

Riku had clenched his eyes shut when he saw it coming, letting out a breathy gasp as his eyes flashed open to see that it was indeed going right through him. For a split second, a wrenching pain twisted through his body, nearly knocking him out before suddenly the pain fell away. Then his body was numb to the sword jutting out of his chest, perhaps that was because it was it was glowing black with magic?

Expression still emotionless, Sephiroth pulled his sword away a moment later, a black tar-like substance staining its tip as Riku slumped to the ground in a state of shock and confusion. What he knew for sure though was that he felt so much lighter, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. But, his father had moved so quickly, "W-What, what just happened?"

"Xehanort's Heartless is clinging around your soul. The magic flares weakened his power but it seems as though even a direct attack could not completely destroy it." Sephiroth tisked as he looked at the dirtied end of his sword. "Depravities such as that thing should never have existed, they are no better than parasites." His gaze moved from his weapon to his son as the black glow around him slowly faded. "Do you feel faint?"

"No, I, I'm alright."

"Good. It has been a while since I have used my magic and Xehanort's Heartless has strong control over you. I have weakened it as well as I could, it should not have the energy for aggression for a long while at least."

Covering his chest with his hand, Riku pressed back against the door, using its solid weight to heave himself up off of the ground. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he looked up at his father. "So, you're telling me that that guy's not completely gone?"

"That's correct." He paused. "Xehanort's Heartless was an early project of Xemnas'. I did not care how he used it but he should have known that I would not tolerate him infesting my son with his creature." Sephiroth unclenched his hand around his sword and the weapon instantly disappeared. The pale hand then went up to card through his silver bangs. "It had already connected with you for far too long; any longer at the pace which it was overwhelming you and it could have completely taken control within days. Only the creator, or the death of the creator, can completely extinguish the parasite's existence, but I at least could make it powerless."

Riku's fingers clenched the fabric of his shirt. Xehanort's Heartless already had taken complete control. But if he was weakened, then Riku could be around Sora again without having to worry. For a while anyway. "Thank you, Father."

His father made a noise of acknowledgement as he walked back over to the hospital cot to collect his black trench coat. Taking this as permission to leave, Riku fumbled for the doorknob behind him then stumbled out of the room. Immediately, he felt a comforting hand on his back, Namine's quiet voice concerned and just barely reaching his ears. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. Let's go."

He only glanced back once into the hospital room as he grabbed Namine's hand. From inside, his father caught his gaze then nodded, the powerful businessman mutely sending him on his way.

Despite his father's acceptance however, Riku still hurried through the hospital. Now that he had gotten passed that talk with his father, his mind had gone back to focus on getting to Sora. He hadn't forgotten his dream. Sora was scared and stuck somewhere dark, and he was waiting for Riku to come help him.

As they left the hospital, Namine caught up to him so they were walking side by side. "What did he say to you?"

"He was actually nice about the whole thing. It was…strange."

Namine smiled, linking her arms closer with his. "That's good to hear. I was worried when he shut the door on me. I didn't know what I'd find when I saw it opening again. Although, now that I think about it, I should have known he wouldn't have hurt you."

"How would you know that? Even I thought that he was going to kill me at one point."

"That might have been the case for any other person, but Sephiroth really does love you." She giggled softly. "I think you might be his favorite. He let you get away with a lot of things."

Riku huffed, his eyes narrowing when Namine suddenly turned onto the road that went down to the beach. "Where are you going? The portal is in the traffic tunnel where my car was found."

She shook her head. "It's not there anymore. The portals are like doors which come and go, switching places at random times. That's why they're so hard to find." She tilted her head to the side, the smile still playing across her pale face. "Elemental spirits aren't in tune with sensing the portals, it's almost as if us animals can sniff them out!"

Riku snorted at this as they walked quickly along the side of the road. He still hadn't gotten his car back, so walking was the only way. Luckily, even this main island in the Destiny Island chains was so small that it could be easily crossed by foot in a few hours. The hospital was only a brisk thirty-minute walk from the main stretch of shoreline.

Thirty minutes was still too long. Riku had already wasted too much time recovering and talking. "Come on," he said, tugging her forward, "We're going faster."

Namine glanced up at him then nodded, the two of them breaking into a jog. As frail and delicate as she looked, she kept up with him the whole time, showing no signs of fatigue. Riku had to wonder why he had never noticed how strong she was before this; he supposed she had always just been his strange, little sister to him.

They reached the beach in fifteen-minutes. Catching his breath, Riku wiped a layer of sweat from his forehead. He wasn't used to running in the sun and tropical heat. Namine looked perfectly fine though as she started to slowly walk down the sandy beach. She really was something. After a moment to collect himself, Riku caught up to her. "Namine, where is it?"

"Somewhere close. Be patient for a few seconds." She actually lifted her head into the air, senses peaked as she scanned the shoreline. "It's around here somewhere…" She started walking toward the water. Riku could only watch as she waded into the teal tropical water, the girl stopping suddenly a few feet out, the water washing up mid-calf. She turned halfway to glance back at him. "I found it, come here!"

Riku obeyed. He sensed nothing out of the ordinary though as he waded out to meet her. Well, he did feel water soaking his shoes and pants, but certainly nothing magical. "Where is it?"

"Right here." She took a step forward, extending a slim hand. Riku watched as she touched a point in the air which stopped her finger like a solid surface. White light rippled out from her touch, shooting out until the glow outlined the form of an arched doorway. Perhaps sensing his awe, she glanced up at him, her expression hesitant. "Like I said before, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get us all the way through to the other world. I'm going to try my hardest, but just know that it might be a rougher ride then what you've had so far."

"I'll take that chance. I've got to get back."

"I know." Sighing, she pulled herself together then held out her hand. "Okay. I'll try my best. Take my hand, and whatever happens, don't let go. If I had enough magic, this wouldn't be so dangerous, and you could probably make it on your own. But as it is now, the portal will be very unstable. I just…I'll try to get us both through safe, but it's just been so long and the last time completely drained me."

Riku swallowed, unnerved by her nervousness. But he took her hand, clasping it tight in his larger one. "You can do this. It's only the two of us this time, and you're older, so I know you can do it."

She nodded then took half a step forward, looking back at him only once more as a warning. "Alright. Remember-"

"Don't let go. Yeah, don't worry, I'm not planning on it."

Nodding again, Namine glanced back at him then stepped into the white outline, her body disappearing as she passed through. Riku followed after her, immediately swept up in a world of bright light. It was just like what had happened when he had first stumbled into the spirit world. This time however, he could feel Namine's hand grasping onto his own. Suddenly though, he felt the world gave a rolling shudder, the light fracturing around them. A warped gasp came from in front of him. Namine was losing control of the portal.

"R-Riku! Hold on!"

Not wanting to risk getting left behind, Riku reached forward, feeling his arms wrap around her solid form.

Then, he felt a hand grasp onto his collar. From behind.

He let out a hoarse shout as he was pulled backwards, bringing Namine with him as he fell back.

He let out a grunt as he hit the ground, eyes blinking open to see Namine sprawled in his lap, shaking her head. And they were out of the world of light. In fact the dark view looked like a particularly bleak and dismal country side. Smirking, he sat up and grabbed Namine's thin arm. "See, I knew you could do it."

She shook her head, her face paler than usual as she ran a hand over her brow. "But…I didn't do that. The portal had started to fall apart around us…!"

"It was indeed a foolish attempt. Be glad that I had the sense to wait for you on the other side of the portal and managed to catch you in time before the tunnel shattered completely. Now if you could kindly get off of me, that would be much appreciated."

Riku craned his head back to see that he had actually landed on top of Zexion, the older but smaller spirit looking sufficiently ruffled. Riku quickly lifted Namine up, supporting her as she gathered her senses when he stood up himself. "Zexion!"

"You sound surprised." Zexion muttered, a frown on his lips as he dusted off his black cloak. "I would feel insulted but this is rather unexpected to me as well."

"How did you help us through the portal?" Namine asked.

"I felt you coming so I reached in and gave you a hand. I would not have interfered except I felt your resolve weakening. Considering the current situation, the last thing I needed was for Riku to disappear between the two worlds."

Hearing this, Riku grabbed Zexion's shoulders, his grip tight. "What happened to everyone else? Are they okay? Where were they taken?"

"Calm down." Zexion brushed his hands off with a frown, his gaze hard as he stared up at Riku, all business once again. "Once Saix took you away, the others were captured though they put up a good fight. It has been nine days since they were taken back to the palace. After I saw them led through the gates I came here to wait for your return. We need to get back to the palace as quickly as we can though if we want to find them alive."

"Why didn't you try to save them?" Riku asked, his silver brows furrowing as indignation rippled through him. "Did you even help try to keep them from being captured?"

Zexion frown, his voice lowering to an angry hiss as he leaned forward, "I could not have done anything to help them and revealing my presence would have only led to complications for myself. My illusions are not used for direct attacks, they shield and blind, but they cannot fight. It was all I could do to follow after them and see what became of them."

"Is this how you expect to help the team then?"

"It was an inopportune situation for me. My skills lie in planning and less barbaric maneuvers."

By now, Namine had gotten between them, the girl trying to soothe the almost tangible tension between the two of them. For his part, Riku just couldn't understand Zexion's decisions. If it had been him in the spirit world for the last eight days, he would have done everything in his power to get into the palace and locate the rest of their team. Plans could be made later when it came to rescuing Sora and the others from Xemnas's clutches.

He was also angry at himself for being gone so long, his frustrations easy to take out on Zexion. He supposed that he did owe the violet-haired spirit though; if he hadn't been here then they might not have made it at all.

He and Zexion stared each other down for a few more seconds before he snorted and looked away. "Fine. You say that you're good at making plans? What's the plan then?"

"We're going back to the palace. As I mentioned before, we have Xigbar on our side so getting into the palace should be infinitely less complicated. Once we're inside we'll begin looking for the others. Undoubtedly most of them will be down in the dungeons. I suspect though that the royal family will be kept elsewhere, probably closer to where the Superior can keep close watch on them. Because you can sense Sora, we will begin looking for him first." Zexion's expression darkened slightly. "And when we are in the palace, you will listen to my orders without argument. Out of the three of us, I can only assume that I have the best understanding of the current situation and politics within the palace grounds. You will not be seen by anyone, or speak to anyone, unless I say so, otherwise we may all die. Do you understand?"

Riku frown but, feeling Namine's hand on his shoulder, nodded curtly. He was back in the spirit world, so he would have to get used to taking orders again. But that didn't mean that he had to like it. "I understand."

"We both understand," Namine said, her gentle voice calming the atmosphere. "You're concerns sound valid and I am sure you do have the best information about the palace. The plan also sounds like a good one, right, Riku?"

Riku didn't even bother with enthusiasm. "Yeah, it sounds great. Now are we going to start walking any time soon or are we going to wait another eight days doing nothing?"

Zexion frowned but started walking, the scholar's pace surprisingly fast for his small build. Namine pushed passed Riku, catching up with Zexion. She offered him a friendly smile as they walked. "I think I should introduce myself before we storm the palace together. My name is Namine."

Riku couldn't see Zexion's expression because he was behind the two of them, but he could hear the other's surprise in his voice. It wasn't much of a change in pitch, but enough for Riku to notice some emotion in Zexion's usually monotonous speech. "Namine? You were at the palace before the Superior took power."

"Yes. Had we met before?"

"Not formally. But I made it my business to know everyone by name and face. You have grown though, so I did not recognize you immediately. I had assumed you were just another spirit who got lost in the chaos."

"You're close. Sephiroth took me with his family."

Zexion made a noise of understanding. "Of course he would have. He needed to get to a portal."

Riku raised an eyebrow as he watched the two of them talk. He should have expected that they would get along; their quiet and smart personalities were compatible anyway. It was going to be a long trip for him though, if he had to listen to the two of them the entire way to the palace. He guessed he would just have to keep the pace fast so that they got their sooner.

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	15. Chapter 15

Di immortals, this is literally the longest chapter I've ever written. The product of a guilty conscious I suppose, for posting it so late (you may be clued into this if you checked up on my profile and piteous begging for patience, and you were very patience, so, thanks, dudes!). I was surprised by how many people though that Sephy was actually going to hurt Riku though, I mean, he's crazy at times, yeah, but he probably wouldn't intentionally hurt his own offspring, ya know? In other news, all you who reviewed totally rock as usual. I love you all, you're awesome and all that.

Thanks to: DieChan, Shinimegami7, 73n5Hl, -chan, XfallenXshadowX, CloudedMirror89, andhearts, Twilight Emo Wind Goddess 801, Chronos Mephistopheles, zi-ling, XxsneakydevxX, Chaotic Darkness, Ultima Phoenix, Staple Queen, FlurryDivider, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, becoafamu, Dust to Dusk.

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I'm gonna go take a nap now. Please enjoy the chapter! ^^'

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Chapter 15

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The palace looked as imposing as ever as their small group approached its dark form. Like before, a few points of light shimmered out from some of the windows, giving a hint of the bright world inside. As they approached the outer walls, Zexion motioned for them to get behind a small patch of brush, possibly the same exact ones that Riku, Axel, and Cloud had hidden behind before.

Not liking the sensation of déjà vu, Riku crouched down next to the smaller man. "What is your plan?"

"The two of you need to stay here while I approach the wall. Do not reveal yourselves until I come for you or else you may be killed."

"What are you going to do though?"

"I have a plan." With this somewhat vague reply, Zexion stood up, glancing back at the two of them as if to make sure that they were really staying put before he started to walk to the palace.

From behind their hiding spot, Riku frowned, trying to peer through the foliage of the bushes to see what Zexion was doing. He didn't know what Zexion had planned, but he clearly remembered how fast the guards on the walls responded to the sight of a stranger. What if Zexion's so-called ally wasn't up on the walls right now and Zexion was shot down? Of course Riku wasn't completely convinced that he should trust Zexion yet, so who was to say that Zexion wasn't going to betray them? Crouched beside him, Namine whispered questioningly, "What's wrong?"

"Who says something's wrong?"

"You tensed suddenly. Can you see anything?"

"I can't see anything, and that's the problem. I'm not quite sure about Zexion though. He just suddenly shows up and talks about wanting to help us. There's even a possibility that he lead Saix in the others to Demyx's house himself." Riku shifted, his teal eyes meeting Namine's blue.

Namine frowned. "I do not think he would do something like that."

"You don't know that. His job is to make illusions, it wouldn't be too hard for someone like that to fool us into thinking that he's on our side. If things go wrong here, if right now he's telling them exactly where we are, we're going to have to get out of here fast-"

"Whoah, dude. Totally not feeling the love here, maybe I should be getting back to the wall."

The laid-back voice had suddenly come from behind. Startled, Riku grabbed Namine's arm, the two of them falling back into the bush, twisting around to see a tall cloaked figure behind them. The hood was thrown back, revealing a middle-aged man with long hair pulled back into a pony tail, the hair streaked with silver. He was clearly a fighter; he had an eye patch over one eye and a large scar down the other side of his face. In his hands were a pair of strange weapons; some kind of gun with arrows radiating out from its magazine.

The spirit grinned at their wide-eyed expression, the smile appearing somewhat manic with the eye patch and scar. "Man, they're nothing but punk kids and scared shitless! What did you do to them, Zexion?"

There was a rush of air next to the man's right shoulder and Zexion appeared out of the thin air, apparently having cloaked himself with one of his illusions. "I did nothing to them." He seemed emotionless as ever. "And they were right to be wary about me. We have not been working in cooperation for too long and I have done nothing to prove my loyalty. If you had any self control and hadn't jumped them, they wouldn't have been so scared." Zexion's sharp gaze turned to Riku and Namine. "You can get up now, this is Xigbar, captain of the palace guards."

As Riku and Namine got to their feet, Xigbar sent them a mock solute. "Happy to be of service, little dudes." He pointed to Riku, "I totally remember you. You're one of the three guys that tried to run out of castle a while back with the two princes, right? Man, that was a close call, having to watch you from up on the wall nearly gave me a heart attack."

Riku bristled, brushing dirt off of his pants as he glared up at Xigbar. "Then why the hell did you shoot at us? If you were on our side, you should have just let us go."

"As if. If I had done that, I'd be dead right now." Xigbar shook his head with a smile. "Besides, I told everyone not to hit you, all the shots were well clear of you guys. If I had actually been aiming to shoot you guys down, you would have been killed right then and there! You guys are pretty lucky that I had been up at the walls at that time."

"And I feel so lucky too" Riku drawled. He looked over to Zexion, "Are we getting inside or not?"

Zexion opened his mouth to answer but before he could get a word out, Xigbar had grabbed his thin arm. "Psh, yeah, you're getting inside. One at a time though." He gave them another salute as Zexion's visible eye widened, a hint of panic in the smaller spirit's eyes before Xigbar suddenly disappeared with Zexion in tow.

Riku blinked. That had been, unexpected. Just as he took a step forward, he heard Namine let out a small noise of surprise and turned just in time to see Xigbar flash into view next to her, grab her, then disappear again.

And now he was alone. Inwardly cursing, Riku spun around, looking for any signs of life around him. This wasn't good. He didn't like that he had no idea where the others had gone or what was happening. Where had Xigbar taken Zexion and Namine? He tensed as he felt a twitch of air movement behind him and instinctually struck out with his fist. The blow was caught by a large hand, a relaxed chuckle hitting his ear. Twisting around, Riku saw Xigbar and his sly amber gaze right next to him, well within his boundary of personal space.

Just as Riku was about to snarl out a warning for him to back off, Xigbar's smile widened. "Hey, awesome move there, I'm impressed that you felt that coming! But it's time to go."

As soon as Xigbar's hand landed on his arm, Riku felt his stomach lurch. It was similar to the sensation of freefalling on a roller coaster ride, his eyes were open but he couldn't really understand what he was seeing until within the span of a heartbeat his feet were back on solid ground. Legs buckling under him at the landing, Riku fell to the ground, shaking his spinning head as he heard Xigbar laughing. "Ah ha ha, I love teleporting newbies! Your reactions are great. Of course I could never get sick of yours, Zexy!"

Riku lifted his head to see that they were in one of the inner hallways of the palace. A grinning Xigbar was standing next to Zexion, who appeared to be bracing himself against the wall. Zexion was definitely pale, even a little green. Wiping his forehead off with his sleeve, Zexion glared up at the other cloaked spirit. "I loathe you right now."

"I know, I love ya' too." Jauntily lifting his hand to rest one of his weapons up onto his shoulder, his grin fell a little. "This has been fun, but I've got to get back to the walls before Superior notices I'm off my post. Come and find me if you need any help. I'll search you out if I ever have anything to report. See you later, dudes!"

Xigbar vanished once again, two flashes of light the only indication of his disappearance. Recovering from his rolling stomach, Riku picked himself up then walked over to Namine. She was slightly pale, but smiled weakly at him. "I didn't expect that to happen. It felt like one of those rides in an amusement park!"

"You thought so too?" Riku's gaze shifted to Zexion and he couldn't help but smirk at the other's sick complexion. "You okay, Zexion?"

"Perfectly fine." With a few breaths, Zexion straightened up, "I just needed a moment away from that accursed space elemental."

So Xigbar was an element of space. He was able to manipulate space then, which would explain that wild ride each of them just took. "Then why are you still pale?"

Zexion scowled then a shimmer of air ran down his face, his coloring returning to its normal flush. But Riku had caught it this time. That was definitely an illusion. Even if he had known that Riku had seen, Zexion nevertheless fixed him with a business-like frown. "Either way, we don't have time for this nonsense. Can you sense the Crown Prince or can't you?"

The smirk dropped from Riku's lips as he immediately sobered. That's right, Sora was still in trouble. There would be time for fun later. Closing his eyes, Riku tried to send his senses out in all directions, searching for any hint of Sora's aura. He could feel his energy pushing though walls and floors, spreading in all directions like a three-dimensional ripple, trying to feel for that one patch of light, that one warmth which his soul could immediately cling onto. His silver brows furrowed as his first mental sweep through the castle picked up nothing; no instinctual pull demanding that he go in any particular direction. "I, I don't sense him," he murmured. Concern, a precursor to panic, was beginning to creep into his thoughts. Why couldn't he sense Sora? What did that mean? "I don't sense him anywhere. Zexion, you said you saw them bring him here?"

"He's here." Zexion's calm voice cut off his inner turmoil before it could spiral out of control. "He might have been better hidden though. Search for darkness instead of light, we'll look there first."

Frowning, Riku nonetheless reached out again with his senses, this time searching for patches of darkness. It was a different experience; he had only ever looked for Sora, so instead he just searched for the area which felt the exact opposite of the Prince's warmth.

His eyes flashed open as his mind caught something. Something above their heads and to the side. A freezing cold sensation, a void of black darker than anything else found on the palace grounds. "Upstairs." He pointed to the right direction as well as he could.

Zexion nodded. "I thought as much, judging by the smells. Those would be the quarters normally reserved for the royal family, but the Superior has occupied them lately. Undoubtedly he has moved the princes closer to him so as to keep a stronger watch on them, and that area has been so saturated with dark magic that the Prince's magic, no matter how strong, would have been overwhelmed."

Was Sora really stuck in a pitch black room then? Riku's blood ran cold at the thought of Sora actually stuck in that place he had dreamed of. "Which way is the fastest path?"

Zexion nodded to the left. "This way, follow me."

Riku did without question. He felt Namine close behind him as they started walking, her fingers closing around his wrist as her quiet voice hit his ear, "Riku, it's going to be okay."

"You don't know that," he muttered coldly. He wasn't in the mood to be comforted. He couldn't believe that he had even momentarily forgotten about Sora's predicament.

Much to his relief, Namine fell silent as Zexion led them to a small spiral staircase. The lack of decoration in the staircase showed that it was made for servant's use; it was nothing but plain white stone. Zexion's steps were constant and sure, clearly he knew exactly where he was going. The chill of the dark magic was soaking through the upper floor and Riku found himself getting colder and colder as they climbed up the stairs. But just like Zexion he didn't hesitate in his steps.

The floor above them was the finest part of the palace Riku had seen yet. He definitely hadn't been there before anyway, he would have remembered. The hall was twice as wide as the lower floor had been. The color theme was still white, but this time there were Classical columns attached to the wall. There were windows along side one side of the hall, an unnatural light shining in through their lacey stonework, plant-life molded from white stone winding around the edge of the windows and bringing it to life. This hall, flooded with light, was clearly the remains of the previous reign, completely fit for a king and light elemental. It was still so cold though; it was as if the white light had been turned to something sterile and terrifying.

Riku wanted to run his hands down some of the decorations but the imposing atmosphere and his desire to find Sora as soon as possible kept him walking straight down the center of the hallway. Their footsteps echoed in the silent hall but Riku couldn't help but notice that his were the loudest. In fact the only way he knew that Zexion was walking in front of him was the fact that he could see him, the spirit's footsteps were silent.

As they walked Zexion turned his head back to them slightly, his lips barely moving as he whispered. "These are the royal quarters, or rather, what used to belong to the royal family. The Superior took the king's suite for his own use."

Riku frowned, pushing his way passed Zexion as he increased his pace toward the overwhelming darkness coming from one of the rooms, trying to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. The hall wound around the lit side, indicating that the light was coming from within an inner courtyard, but just as Riku was turning the corner, Zexion grabbed his shoulder, halting him in his tracks.

Riku scowled, turning to demand that Zexion let him go when Zexion pulled him against the wall. "It would be unwise to simply walk blindly toward the Superior's most private quarters. It will be guarded." Riku frowned then tentatively poked his head around the corner to see what he could see.

There were indeed two guards. Surprisingly, they were actual human-looking spirits instead of heartless creatures. So apparently the Superior didn't fully trust the capacity of the Heartless after all if he saved the few remaining spirits for his own personal service. They stood at the end of the hall, flanking either side of two majestic double doors, their black and navy uniforms standing out starkly against the white architecture.

Zexion motioned for both Riku and Namine to be silent before he took a step back. He closed his eyes as if to focus before he lifted his hand, revealing a scrap of paper in his palm, a hand-written text written across it. A second later, the paper fluttered up, multiplying into thousands of scraps which wrapped around his cloak and body, plastering and encasing him in paper like a cocoon. The paper then expanded, pushing up into the air and out before they began to fly away again, twisting around him like a whirwind. As they left, they revealed a black robe several sizes larger than what Zexion wore, and much larger shoes and longer legs. The hand too was larger, and as the paper flew away from his face it revealed tan skin and long silver hair. The last of the paper to leave was that covering his eyes. As it fluttered away, Riku could literally see Zexion's usually blue eyes turn to amber, the small detail completing the look as all of the paper collected back into his larger outstretched hand, falling back into a compact single piece of paper.

The disguised Zexion looked down at them, his normally stoic expression terrifying on this face. "Wait for my signal." The voice was Zexion's until the illusionist raised his fingers to his throat, the touch turning his voice to something deeper and colder. "Until then, do not move from this spot."

Riku couldn't help but nod. He felt Namine's hand slide into his as Zexion strode off around the corner, his new booming voice carrying easily in the quiet hall. "You two, leave me. I wish to be alone."

One of the guards stuttered out a flustered respone. "B-but, My Lord Superior, our shift does not end for an hour yet. You ordered us to guard this room no matter the circumstances."

"You dare defy me? Right now I am telling you to leave this hall, so what order will you choose to obey?"

There was probably a silent debate between the guards, but fear must have won out because a second later they rushed by Riku and Namine's hiding place. Riku tensed, raising his arm in front of Namine to block her in case they were spotted but the guards walked right passed them without a second glance, despite the fact that one of the men's eyes grazed right over the both of them before he turned back to his fellow guard.

A few seconds after they disappeared from the hall, Riku let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Beside, him, Namine also gave a small sigh of relief, a shaky smile crossing her lips. "I thought for sure he had seen us."

"Unlikely." Riku looked up to see Zexion-turned-Superior towering over them. "I had shielded you from sight, which is why I told you not to move." He waved his hand, as if shooing something away, and his disguise fell about him like a stack of cards, the fragments of the larger skin disappearing before they hit the ground. "We have some time, but as you heard, less than an hour before the next shift appears."

Riku nodded. "I understand. We shouldn't need that much time though."

"We will if you don't know where to look."

"I can find him." Stepping out from the hiding place, Riku once again tried to focus in on the dark magic. Sora's aura really was easier to focus on though. Wait, there. The darkness was most concentrated the end of the hall through the double doors. The doors were massive, nearly stretching up to the ceiling, a decorative frame around it woven with more stone flowers and molded vines. Riku ran forward, his hand about to grasp the silver gilded handle when he paused.

Something about this just…seemed wrong. Something in the back of his mind was screaming that this wasn't where he needed to go even though the place passed those doors was the one most intense in dark energy. Curling his fingers away from the knob, he turned instead to the side where there was a smaller door. It was a much plainer design; there were no flowers and the handle was white instead of inlaid with silver.

Without hesitation, he pushed the smaller door open, his eyes widening when a black smoke poured out. He jumped back as the inky fog washed into the hall, turning to look for Namine just before his vision was obscured by the smoke pouring between them.

"Ignore it!" Zexion's voice carried through the rapidly darkening hallway. "It's only an after-affect of so much dark magic, it can't hurt you."

Hearing his words, Riku scowled and waved his hand through the fog in front of him. Zexion was right. It was colder than the rest of the air around him but it didn't hurt or seem to have any other side effects. As it was, it was enveloping his senses, the strength of its darkness shrouding his own abilities. This would explain why he couldn't sense Sora; this stuff was so thick it was nearly tangible. But it was harmless. Steeling himself, he took a breath than ran into the room.

The open door seemed to be airing the room out as slivers of the walls and floors began to become visible. Waving his hands to clear out the smoke as fast as he could, he tried to use his own elemental power to push back the other residue. It wasn't working all that well but he was able to push further into the room, taking it step by step as the space slowly cleared.

The first thing he saw was a foot clearing into view. It was like a blindfold slowly being lifted away as the rest of the figure came into view, curled up on the hard stone floor against the wall. Riku crouched down next to the person as he heard a rattle of what sounded like chains. What he didn't expect though was for a sudden fist to come out and catch the side of his face, sending him reeling back onto his bottom.

Rubbing his cheek, Riku scowled, grabbing the hand as it came to strike at him again. The delicate hand was familiar, but the violence meant that it could be only one person. "Roxas, it's alright. I'm not here to hurt you."

The black fog finally dispersed enough for their faces to be revealed to one another. As it did so, Roxas's blue eyes came into view than widened. A flash of relief swept through them before they suddenly narrowed and Roxas struck out again with his other hand. The movement sent a metallic clanking through the room, revealing that his writs were in manacles. "Where did you go?" he shouted. His face was pale and drawn, body visibly trembling probably from overexposure from the dark magic. "Because of your disappearance we were captured! And you took so long getting here," his voice trailed off as he shuddered. "I've almost forgotten what light looks like."

Frowning, Riku grabbed Roxas's arm, effectively silencing him. "Where's Sora?"

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know. As long as I've been here, I don't think anyone else has been with me. I tried to call out anyway, for the first few hours, but that got old very quickly. I don't even have any idea of where I am." Lifting his arms, he grimaced at the sight of his bound hands then over his shoulder at the chains tied to what was revealing itself to be an intricately carved armoire. "I didn't even know I was tied to a piece of furniture."

As Roxas turned back to look at Riku, his blue eyes widened as they passed over Riku's shoulder. Riku twisted around on his own accord before Roxas could say a word.

The black fog had cleared to reveal Sora's slumped-over form directly across from where Roxas had been placed. Namine was already crouched next to the older prince, the girl's face concerned as she touched the bloody stain which had dried on his tunic, the slice through the fabric. "He's only barely breathing, Riku."

Riku felt the blood rush from his face as he threw himself to the other side of the room. "Namine, untie Roxas." The order came out hoarser than he had expected as he pushed her away from Sora. Suddenly it was too much for her to be that close to him, if he really was in such a delicate state then she shouldn't touch him. His heart was in his throat as he kneeled over Sora's body, a trembling hand reaching to his face. He pushed his spiky brown bangs back from his pale skin. "Sora." His voice barely came out as a whisper as he leaned over the little light elemental, "Sora, wake up."

The sound of chains clanking echoed behind him as Riku reached up to work at Sora's shackles. He couldn't break through the metal, but he could untie the rope which had tied the chain to the foot of a high-backed chair. The room seemed to be a bedroom; it even included a luxurious bed covered in fine linens but the prince's had been but on the hard tile floor. That made Riku's blood boil.

Riku's fingers fumbled with the ropes for a few minutes before he worked through the knot. As soon as Sora was free from the chair, Riku pulled the prince into his arms. Sora was cold, abnormally so, his head lolling back against Riku's shoulder, body completely limp. "Shit. Sora! Wake up!"

There was a shuffle of movement and a moment later, Roxas had crawled over to them, his movement somewhat hindered by the fact that his wrists were still linked by about a foot of chain. His eyes were focused on his older brother though, face wracked with guilt and worry. "I, I had no idea he was in here with me! He never, he never made a single sound. They never even treated his wound, those bastards!"

Damn, that meant that even during his dream, Sora must have been unconscious. Frowning, Riku unbuckled Sora's belt then rolled up his tunic. The sword wound he himself had inflicted was indeed still there, the red gash still appearing raw in his side. "Why isn't it healing faster?"

Namine cut in at this point, startling Riku as she set her hand on his shoulder. "Sprits heal at a slow pace if they have nothing to aid them. It is why we invented Cure spells and health potions. He needs to see a healer."

Riku looked up at Roxas. Sora's body was so heavy in his arms. "Do you know Curaga?"

Roxas shook his head, eyes still wide. "I haven't learned it yet, my lessons never progressed that far. I know Cura but I'm completely drained right now, I feel like I don't have a drop of magic in me after being stuck in here for so long. We need to find my mother."

With a curt nod, Riku leaned down and wrapped his arms underneath the smaller boy's knees and torso then pulled him up into his arms. Sora's brown spikes tickled the side of his face as Riku's fingers tightened around him. He resisted his strange urge to bury his nose into that hair; now was not the time and he could not be that desperate. Riku was somewhat reassured though by the fact that at least when holding him like this, he could feel Sora's feeble but present heartbeat underneath his hand. "Where would they keep her?"

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know."

From his post keeping watch by the door, Zexion spoke up. "It's likely the Superior put the princes here in order to mask their light auras, especially since he now knows for certain that you have returned to this world. There would be no reason to keep Her Majesty in any special location, so there is a good chance she was put in the dungeons with the others-"

Roxas stood up, blue eyes blazing as his manacles clanked from the movement. "Xemnas wouldn't dare!"

"Not to sound contrary, Prince Roxas, but he put you and the Crown Prince in chains. If the Superior has shown no chivalry toward you, I doubt he will humor hospitality with your mother."

Roxas' face darkened before his eyes flashed to his unconscious brother in Riku's arms. The sight was apparently enough to douse his indignant rage with anxiousness. "We're going to the dungeons then."

"Allow me to lead the way," Zexion murmured. "I can get us through unseen."

Roxas nodded. "Very well, lead the way."

Zexion did as he was told. Because he was carrying Sora, Riku took the back of the group. As worried as he was about Sora, he couldn't help but be relieved to have him back in his arms. Man, it was a good thing that he had called it off with Kairi. If he was already this way after having been separated for only a few hours, then he was in way too deep. Hell, the fact that he was willing to carry Sora right now showed more devotion than he had ever felt toward anyone.

This didn't mean of course that Sora wasn't heavy. On the contrary, the little prince was surprisingly heavy, which made sense since Riku was carrying all of his body in his arms. He was strong, but he could easily admit that he probably wasn't that strong. Especially when trying to climb down stairs with a limp body weighing him down. He had only been able to do that by leaning heavily against the wall.

The walk down to the dungeon was slow and tense. It was hard to be quiet when Roxas and Sora were still wearing chains. Every few minutes a group of servants or guards or Heartless would pass them and Zexion would motion for them all to get against the wall to cast a concealment illusion. After the first few times that happened, they all had pretty much gotten the pattern down. Silently panic, throw yourself to the wall, and pray they don't look in your direction too closely.

As they descended further into the palace however, the crowds grew thinner and thinner, the population changing completely to guards and Heartless. There were also less windows and less finery, the white stone becoming a dirty gray and black. It was as if they had carved the lower floors out of the earth itself.

Finally, they came to a long hallway. It was wide enough to fit three men side-by-side, probably built for two guards dragging a prisoner down to the dungeons. There were no nooks or crevices for anyone to hide and a large metal door loomed at the end of the hall, the large rivets and cross beams across its width enhancing its appearance of strength and impenetrability.

They had almost reached the door when it swung open. Two guards strutted out, their swords swinging casually at their hips as Zexion ushered everyone to one side. As Riku pressed against the wall, he held his breath as the soldiers came by. Holding Sora, he was jutting out too far into the hall, the guard on their side looked as if he was going to crash into his elbows. Beside him, Namine saw the predicament coming and glanced up at him with worry in her eyes. Roxas apparently noticed the problem as well, and just as the guards passed by, he pushed passed Namine and grabbed Riku's shoulder, pushing him to his knees. Riku fell with a thud that made Zexion's brow furrow, the noise catching the attention of the guards just as the closer one's elbow grazed over Riku's head.

"Did you hear anything?" He asked his partner.

The other man shook his head. "Who knows anymore? My nerves are shot. I still can't imagine how long the Superior wants to keep them; killing them would be so much simpler."

"It's no good to question him. Besides, some prisoners are better left alive then killed, that's the royal family we're talking about."

"_I_ wouldn't want them killed, all I'm saying is that it would be easier to have them killed. Besides, keeping them alive for eternity would be crueler than death in my view…"

Their voices trailed off as they continued to walk down the hall. Riku only let out a sigh of relief once he heard the door to the stairs open and close, tottering up to his feet with a glare to Roxas. "A little warning would be nice next time. I almost dropped Sora."

"I was trying to be silent, unlike your little outburst. And who said you could be so familiar with him to forgo his title?"

"I said so. Besides, he doesn't care."

Roxas's glared, his expression softening somewhat as his eyes drifted down to Sora's pale face. "You're right, he doesn't. But he should."

Up ahead, Zexion started walking toward the prison door again. "Come. We're wasting time and we're almost there. If those guards had just finished their shift, then we have a few seconds to get inside. Once we're inside the dungeon we can bar the door, but we'll need to think of a way to fight the guards off once we get trapped inside. Our only hope is that the others are down there and can be roused into some sort of fighting shape."

"You're always so optimistic, Zexion, that's what I like the best about you," Riku muttered sarcastically. Zexion only snorted and Riku adjusted his hold on Sora. Just a few more steps then hopefully they could find Aerith and get Sora back onto his feet again.

The door creaked with rust as Zexion tugged it open. The thing was so heavy that in the end, Roxas also had to lend a hand, the both of them together managing to drag it open after a few grueling seconds. Cold air immediately rushed out of the doorway, the smell stale and tinged with decay.

Riku wrinkled his nose as he stepped inside, feeling slightly sympathetic toward Namine and Zexion who both apparently had been gifted with stronger senses of smell and were now covering their noses with their sleeves. The light from the previous hall lit only a few feet into the dungeon proper, revealing rough cobble-stoned floors, muddy water stagnant between their cracks. The rest of the dungeon was lit with sparsely placed torches which were burning an oily fire, the dark smoke from the dirty burning having long-ago stained the surrounding walls a dark coal-grey. Rows of iron cages lined the sides of the hall, their bars buried deep into the stone floor and ceiling for added strength. The cells at least appeared to have a layer of hay spread out, perhaps making clean up easier for the keeper of the dungeons but also hopefully making the stay a little more comfortable for those inside.

There was a rustling from the first cell to the right, the light from the outside hall revealing Aerith as she came to the front of her cell. Roxas cried out in shock and thinly-veiled horror and ran up to her, taking her hand through the iron bars. "Mother, they really did lock you down here?!"

"I am fine, Roxas. They have injured nothing more than my pride."

Not caring if he cut the touching reunion short or not, Riku strode forward. "Aerith, Sora's still hurt, you need to heal him."

Aerith's eyes widened as her eyes fell onto her other son, hands flying to her chest. "Oh my goodness! Quickly, bring him closer. Is there anyway to bring him into my cell? The door is locked, but the guards which just left should have the key."

Riku scowled. Damn. He should have snatched the keys when that guard was passing just inches from him; it would have been the perfect opportunity. Before he had long to wallow in self-pity though, Roxas nudged him in the side. "Move over. I'll take care of this."

Riku did as he was told, moving to the side as Roxas closed his eyes and lifted his hands. A moment later, the Keyblade flickered into existence in his grip, the weapon nearly glowing as air rushed around Roxas's feet in a circle. Riku took a step back in shock as Roxas lined up with the locked cell door and a beam of light shot out from the tip of the Keyblade to the lock. An audible click echoed through the dungeon and the door slowly swung wide open.

"There." Roxas murmured. As the light died around him he tottered back a step, suddenly a little unsteady on his feet. "It's open."

Riku immediately rushed Sora inside. The cell contained a rickety wooden bench and Aerith motioned for him to set Sora down onto it. When he had done so, she leaned over her son's still body, hovering her hands over his wound. "It is deep, but I do not sense any terrible infections yet. There may be a scar, but it should heal with a few spells." Her attention turned momentarily to the rest of the group. "Try to help the others while I am healing him. I need to know how much of my energy I can use on him and how much I will need to conserve to help the others. I have been worried about Cloud and Leon especially since they have gotten so quiet. Could you check on them first?"

She pointed to the cell diagonally across from her own. Reluctant to leave Sora's side, Riku nonetheless followed Roxas out of Aerith's cell to peer into the one across the thin walkway.

It was deeply shadowed, and at first there appeared to be nothing but a large pile of hay. Wrapping his hands around the bars, Riku leaned in closer, his eyes scanning the area and adjusting to the limited light. Next to him, Roxas had again summoned his Keyblade, sweat collecting on the young royal's forehead as he again magically unlocked the door.

It wasn't until they were inside the cell that Riku realized that the piles of hay was actually a large body, the sloping back of a lion. With every step he took toward it, more patches of blood caught his eye. Tentatively, he crouched down and put his hand on the great animal's shoulder. Standing over him, Roxas asked warily, "Is he still breathing?"

"Y-Yeah. Roxas, go next door. Cloud's probably there."

Roxas took off at a run and Riku leaned over the lion's massive form to get a look at his face. His eyes were closed, nostrils flaring every few seconds with shallow and rapid breaths. The only restraint he had was a thick metal collar, the chain connected and embedded straight into the wall. There were a few deep gouges in the rock around the chain; evidence that Leon had at least clawed at his restraints before giving up.

Swallowing, Riku shook the lion's shoulder; he had no idea how to approach such a large creature. "Leon. Hey, Leon, can you hear me?" He got a small twitch in response, the lion's brows furrowing somewhat. Taking this as a positive, Riku reached down to touch the lion's nose. "Leon?"

Apparently it was the wrong move to make. As soon as his finger tips touched the great cat's whiskers, storm grey eyes snapped open and Riku felt a large paw catch him in the back of his head, throwing him to the ground under a roar of fury. Trapped, Riku could only throw his arms up to protect himself as the lion bared its teeth. "Leon! Hey, stop, we're here to save you, you idiot!"

The lion's snarl slowly receded, his face relaxing as he tottered to the side before dropping back to the ground, releasing a shuddering breath and with it all of his pent up strength. Riku blinked then slowly sat up, fingers absently reaching up to comb out the bits of straw which had gotten into his hair. Had that been Leon's last-ditch attempt to put up a fight? Rolling up onto his knees, but now fully aware of where all of the clawed paws were, Riku laid his hand on the lion's broad forearm. He really couldn't tell how injured the other was with the thick layers of fur and mane. "Hey, Leon, pull yourself together. Can you stand up?"

The lion blinked then snorted, feet slowly moving underneath his body. The muscles visibly strained as he tried to push himself up onto his feet. Riku wanted to help but, honestly, he couldn't do much to help support a body that most likely weighed over four-hundred pounds. Through sheer force of will, because he didn't look like he had an ounce of energy left, Leon managed to get to his feet but one step forward sent him back to the ground.

Grimacing, Riku reached down and ran his hands through the lion's thick mane. "Shit. Alright, don't hurt yourself more by trying. I'll go get Aerith."

"_Ah, Cloud, wait!"_

The cry came just before Riku was pushed to the side by a large wolf's muzzle and a snarl. Catching the message to back off, Riku retreated back to the cell door as Roxas ran up next to him, the small blond panting. "I-Idiot. He, he broke right through his chain. He just doesn't know when to quit!"

Riku smirked, shaking his head as he watched the wolf's ears fall back when the dog nudged his muzzle under the lion's chin. The great cat rumbled out a frail growl, brushed tail weakly slapping the hay-lined floor as the wolf began to lap at a bloodied patch on his neck.

"Don't forget, Cloud, you're hurt too!"

Rolling his eyes at the lack of response to Roxas's warning, Riku clapped his hand on Roxas's slim shoulder. "Can you handle to open two more doors? We still have to find Axel and Demyx."

Roxas's face paled before his mouth set into a firm line. "I'm fine." His hand clenched into a fist. "Let's just find them and get out of here."

Together they looked into the last few iron bar cells but found them to be definitely empty. There wasn't a hint that anyone had been thrown into them in the last few years not to mention a few days ago. And beyond those cages was nothing but a wall of metal panels. At the last iron-bar cell, Riku banged his fist against the metal. "What the hell are we supposed to do if they aren't here?!"

Roxas shook his head but said nothing. If the others were being held somewhere else then they were in a very bad situation.

"Well of course they wouldn't be kept in normal cages," both looked up to see Zexion walking up to them. "Spirits with elemental powers need to be kept isolated from their power source in order to be properly contained. The only problem of course is that once they have been isolated from their element, their ability to survive decreases dramatically." He continued passed them, toward the wall of metal.

Stopping in front of one of the panels, Zexion pressed his ear against it then nodded to himself before he pressed his finger tip to the panel. Much to Riku's amazement, a black shape appeared upon it, concentric circles radiating out with strange writing along the rings. Zexion's eyes narrowed, his finger tips brushing along the metallic surface as they spun the circles around by touch. "The Superior employs a magical seal with these doors. Unlike normal locks, they cannot be unlocked by magic alone. One needs to set them in the proper alignment before it opens. Fortunately, I have been entrusted with most of the palace codes, and this one should not be so hard to deduce."

As if on cue, the next spin caused the seal to glow brighter, a click echoing through the room before the panel suddenly slid open to reveal a tiny room, the walls sealed completely by smooth, dull metal. Riku's immediate sensation was extreme cold as the stale air poured out, and when he stepped inside, his eyes settled on a figure huddled in the corner, arms wrapped around a lanky frame. It was Axel.

The next second, Roxas rushed passed him, dropping to his knees in front of his Guardian as he frantically lifted the other's head up. Axel's face was death-white, the tattoos nearly lifted from his skin by the contrast as Roxas called out. "Axel! Hey, Axel!" The chains around his wrists clanked as he raised his hands and firmly slapped Axel across the face. "_Wake up!"_

His voice had cracked with desperation but the contact had caused Axel to blink his eyes open, gaze glassy and unfocused as a fierce shiver shot through his body. "R-Rox…"

"He needs heat. Get him warm, Your Highness. Riku, come with me to the last cell."

Riku nodded absently, watching as Roxas frantically grabbed Axel's hands to warm them in his own. Roxas looked as if he was about to cry. Then it clicked; Roxas had already lost one Guardian. The threat of another one dying undoubtedly terrified him.

It took Zexion less than half the time to open the second high-security cell. The air was as cold as before, and just as stale. Demyx was lying in the middle of the floor; the chill apparently not the problem this time though he too was unconscious. Getting down to business, Zexion rolled up his cloak up to his elbows then crouched down, wrapping his hands under the water god's arms. His sharp blue gaze shot up to Riku. "Well? He's too big for me to move on my own. We need to get him out into the dungeon proper where there is at least some moisture."

Nodding, Riku grabbed Demyx's feet, the two of them carrying him out. At Zexion's command, they set him down onto the cobble stones. Riku could only watch as the disgustingly muddy water began to flow toward where he was laying. In a rush of movement, Zexion left for a few seconds to come back a moment later with a pitcher of water. "Her Majesty was at least given some water," he murmured, "Though even the quality of this is somewhat suspect, it will be better than the bile he's attempting to absorb. Lift him up."

Riku did, grimacing with disgust to find the water god's back already wet with the collected muck underneath him. The smell of it all was enough to make him gag. Zexion however, despite his superior smell, ignored the stench and placed the pitcher to the god's lips. At first, little of the liquid actually made it in, spilling down Demyx's front but a moment later, the body in Riku's arms shuddered and came to life as Demyx broke into a series of dry coughs.

Gasping like a fish out of water, Demyx blindly grabbed for the pitcher in Zexion's hands, his movements almost automatic as he began to swallow great gulps of the water. It wasn't until the pitcher was bone dry that Demyx pushed it back into Zexion's hands, still panting as he reached up with trembling fingers to wipe the remaining drops of water from his chin, the bit of water quickly soaking into his skin like a sponge. "I need…more water…" his voice was raspy and cracked.

Zexion nodded. "Understandable, being a god requires constant contact with your given element. But at the moment your request is impossible. Are you strong enough to stand on your own?"

Demyx let out a small whimper as Zexion grabbed his arm then shook his head, his expression a mixture of fear and fatigue. "I don't know if I can…"

Zexion sighed with exasperation then whipped out a piece of paper from his cloak and in one swift movement sliced a thin cut down his arm. As it began to bleed, he crouched down in front of Demyx. "Here. This is the only other liquid you're going to get, leech as much water as you need from it. Do your best not to kill me from blood loss though."

Demyx stared down horrified at the blood for a few seconds, then shook his head violently. "No!" He pushed Zexion's arm away, "No, no, no. I can't do that! Just, bind that and help me stand. I'll get water any other way, but not like that!"

Zexion frowned but ripped off a piece of his sleeve, winding it around the wound. Just as he was tying it in place, Riku felt a pulse of energy against his back; the feel of Sora's light! Immediately leaving Zexion and Demyx, Riku ran back to Aerith's cell.

When he reached it, he saw Sora with his head on his mother's lap, sky-blue eyes blinking blearily as his mother finished a final Curaga spell on his wound. Namine was leaning over the sword wound itself, her slim fingers giving one last tug on a bandage which looked as if it had come from the bottom hem of Aerith's skirt. Feeling breathless with relief, Riku took a shaky step into the cell as his and Sora's eyes met. Thank God, he was really okay.

Sora's lips turned upward in a small smile, his hand reaching out toward Riku. "I…knew you'd come to get us…!"

Riku shook his head, kneeling beside Sora as he took the outstretched hand into his own.  
"You are far too trusting."

Sora chuckled, though it broke halfway-through with a pained grimace. "Ah, ow…Don't make me laugh, Riku. Of course I knew you'd come, you told me you would when we talked. You'll have to tell me how you got back to our world."

Riku blinked. So, that really had been Sora in his dream. "Guess I will." He paused for a moment then looked up to Aerith. "Cloud and Leon are pretty banged up, Leon especially. I think he might have a hurt leg or something because he can't even stand up."

Aerith frowned then nodded, gently setting Sora's head back onto the wooden bench as she stood up. "I will go see to them then."

As she left, Riku scooted forward. He was half-ashamed, feeling like a pet worried for its master, but at the same time, he really couldn't bring himself to care all that much. All that mattered was that his sword blow hadn't killed the prince after all, and that Sora was on a strong road to recovery.

His eyes must have rested too long on the bandaged wound because Sora tugged on his hand, refocusing his attention. "I don't blame you at all, you know."

"I know. You should though."

Sora shook his head. "It wasn't your fault." Suddenly his eyes brightened a little and Riku felt a warm wave wash over him. "Xehanort's Heartless isn't so strong anymore, that's really good! What happened?"

"I'll tell you later." Riku didn't want to mention his father just yet. He didn't want to remind Sora as to why he should hate him. In fact right now, he was really fighting the urge to just lean down and kiss the prince. "As for right now, do you think you can sit up? We're planning on moving as soon as possible."

Sora looked up at him then tentatively lifted himself up off of the bench. A wince flickered across his features and Riku moved in, placing a hand on Sora's back to help him up. "I think…I think I can manage." Sora murmured. "For a while anyway."

"That's good enough. If worse comes to worse I'll just carry you again."

Sora flushed but before he could comment, his eyes focused on something behind Riku which caught his attention. "Is he okay?!"

Riku turned to see Roxas supporting a weak-looking Axel, the fiery red-head's face still far too pale. He did manage a half-hearted smirk. "I'm dandy, kid. Now lift your hands so I can get through those chains. I already got everyone else."

Sora blinked then dutifully lifted his wrists, his surprised expression showing that he had barely been aware that he had been put in manacles in the first place. Gently shaking Roxas off, Axel crouched down in front of Sora. He took hold of the chain in one hand and pointed at it with the other. A burst of fire shot out from his fingertip, small but fiercely hot. "Alright, hold still or I'll get your skin."

Sora was as still as a statue as Axel cut through the manacles with his flame. After the iron cuffs fell away, Riku made sure to subtly check for any burning as Sora rubbed his wrist. When he saw only a bit of pink, he turned his gaze to Axel who had sat down on the floor for a breather. "Doing okay?"

"Actually I feel like crap, thanks for asking. When we're out of here I'm going to go lie in a bonfire or something, I'm so damn cold. For now though, I've got a little prince for a heater." Roxas flushed a deep red as Axel wrapped an arm around his waist, his lanky Guardian hugging his legs.

Sora laughed lightly at the sight then winced again and gripped his side. "Oh, I forgot, no laughing!"

Riku glanced over at Axel. "Sorry, you'll have to leave, your stupidity is too funny."

Axel sneered. "Yeah, you're laughing now. But just wait until I'm on my feet again. I have a few choice words for you after that disappearing act you pulled back at the tree house."

Riku shrugged. He figured he deserved a little retribution for that. It might as well come from Axel. "Whatever."

"If you've finished your immature banter, it's time to go."

The four of them looked up to see a battered and bruised Leon wavering in the doorway. He looked as if he had one foot in the grave already but his expression was as controlled as ever. Cloud was a few feet beside him, also bruised but less so. It looked as if he was giving Leon just enough space to make it appear as if he was allowing the lion to walk on his own, while still being close enough to catch him if Leon decided to keel over. Leon didn't appear to be fooled however, which only darkened his mood further. "Well?"

"We're ready!" Sora chirped, letting Riku help him to stand.

Axel shakily got to his feet as well. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

Namine was closest to the exit of the dungeon, her and Aerith in the lead. She and Aerith managed to pull open the heavy door but as it swung open, Riku felt his heart fly to his throat.

Saix was standing in the middle of the long hall, backed by a dozen or so armed soldiers. When he locked eyes with them, the blue-haired wolf spirit gave them a lazy smirk. "So the Superior was right. Leaving the prisoners alive meant capturing the few remaining rebels. Come with me, he wishes to speak with you now that you are all here."

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	16. Chapter 16

Alrighty, on to Chapter 16, dudes! ^^ To my reviewers, you guys are totally awesome and, though I know I've said this before, I still worship the ground you walk on for taking the time to leave a little note. To all my readers, I hope you're enjoying the story so far, you have been a most excellent audience for sticking around so long.

Special thanks to: DieChan, Ultima Phoenix, miforever29, FlurryDivider, Shinimegami7, Aindel S. Druida, XxsneakydevxX, becoafamu, CloudedMirror, Staple Queen, andhearts, the austinator, zi-ling, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles! You guys are the bestest! ^^

Ah yes, and special thanks to zi-ling! She drew a most-awesome fan art for this story. It's the first fan art I've gotten yet and man you should have seen my face when my sister pointed it out to me. Grinning like an idiot, I was. Seriously, it was really cool to get that, so, thanks. :D

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Chapter 16

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As they were led up to the throne room, Riku kept a tight hold on Sora's hand. He didn't care about how it looked; he was not letting the prince out of his sight for one moment. Sora didn't protest, on the contrary, he moved closer and closer to Riku as they neared the throne room. Riku wrapped a comforting hand around Sora's shoulders as up ahead Axel wrapped one arm tightly around Roxas's waist, keeping the younger boy attached at the hip for both warmth and protection. The redhead's other hand was down by his leg, fingers clenched into a fist, ready to summon his fiery chakrams.

One of Riku's definite concerns was the fact that Saix was walking side by side with Aerith, the queen having quickly put herself between Saix and Namine who was on her other side. The blue-haired wolf's stance was apparently casual but Riku knew how quick he was; the queen was in danger and Riku knew that all three of her sons were well aware of her predicament. Cloud looked just barely in control of himself; his and Leon's weapons must have been confiscated before Riku had seen them down in the dungeon, but his fists were still clenching and unclenching at jerking intervals. It was as if his judgment was just only holding him back from attacking Saix and his pack of guards, and only because of the fact that he and Leon both had two guards each surrounding them, their spears ready to discipline any signs of fighting back.

The trip to the throne room was faster than what Riku had wanted. There had been no opportunity for an escape, no time for forming any real plan. He had been glancing every so often to Zexion in case the schemer could come up with anything, but the shorter spirit's eyes were determinedly fixed on the ground. Demyx was shuffling along beside him, the water god's face troubled and at a loss as to what to do.

When Saix stopped their march in front of a pair of massive double doors, Riku realized that they were very near the entrance to the palace complex. And he couldn't help but admire the workmanship in the door's carving. Like always, it was white, but this time the surface had been engraved with swirling abstract forms and floral designs. It really was beautiful.

As Saix pushed the door open, Riku felt Sora's fingers clench onto his shirt. Riku was about to lean down and ask him what the matter was when he looked up to see the doors open to reveal a straight shot down the throne room.

It was a vast room, the eye led to the far end by arcades of columns, their widths close to the tree trunks of Demyx's forest. Above the columns were walls broken up by stained-glass windows. It was the most color Riku had seen in the palace with exception to the brightly flowering gardens, the colored light filtering down to the main floor in patches of greens, blues, reds, and every other color imaginable. At the far end was a dais raised up on three steps. There were two thrones on the dais. A black-cloaked figure was sitting in the throne on the right. Xemnas was sitting in the king's seat.

Riku glanced back down at Sora. He had never seen the prince look angrier as Sora's grip tightened. His eyebrows were drawn together, normally carefree face twisted into a scowl as a small noise of disgust broke passed his lips.

Roxas was the one to break first though, the young teen in front of them pushing away from Axel, small hands balled with rage. "How dare you sit there?! You have no right, you bas-"

Axel dove forward, silencing the boy with a hand over his mouth, restraining him by physically picking him off of the ground so that he couldn't do anything stupid, whispering quiet words to try to calm the infuriated youth. As Roxas thrashed in Axel's grip, Riku tightened his grip on Sora's shoulder, a silent warning for the crown prince not to attempt a stunt like that.

An eerie silence fell over the grand court room after Roxas's outburst; a hushed breath having fallen over Saix, the guards, and the rest of their group. Then, a masculine chuckle rumbled through the cavernous room, turning to a low laugh as Xemnas stood up from the throne. His smile faded to a cold smirk as he threw his hood back, burning amber eyes falling on Roxas who still looked enraged. "Interesting. You still have some fight left within you. Apparently the son is more courageous than the father."

Riku had half a second to grab for Sora before the prince lurched forward. He took a cue from Axel and threw his arms around Sora's torso, pinning him to his chest as Roxas's efforts to get out of Axel's arms increased tenfold. "What right do you have to say that?!" Sora was almost screaming, his voice racked with indignant anger. "Our father was ten times the spirit you will ever be!"

Xemnas's smirk dropped from his face. He took a step down from the dais but before the situation could get out of control, Aerith moved between the man and her sons, her hands outstretched to block them further. Despite the dangerous situation, her voice was strong, every part of her echoing the queen she had once been. "Xemnas, please. Do not try to rile up my boys and do not insult Zack's memory. Isn't it enough that you've already killed him?"

"I apologize, Your Highness. I had no intentions to trouble you." Riku's eyes narrowed at Xemnas' sudden change in attitude. The Superior's cold mocking tone had turned to something almost sickly sweet, and Riku didn't like it one bit. "It is only that the tenacity of your rag-tag rebellion surprised even me. Why, you even have persuaded my librarian to go to your side. And here I thought you were supposed to be intelligent, Zexion, but you are nothing but a disappointment."

Zexion flinched at the insult, his hair falling to shade his eyes as he stood next to Demyx.

As Xemnas spoke he walked down toward them, his steps echoing through the otherwise silent room. The dark spirits' eyes raked over all of them. "And some of these faces I don't quite remember." He stopped in front of Namine. "You, of course, are hard to forget. Only a spirit of rare skill could have mastered memory spells as quickly as you did when you were young. Such a shame that you are an animal, otherwise I could have had use for you myself instead of allowing Sephiroth to whisk you away."

Standing behind Aerith and Namine, Riku couldn't see their expressions, but the queen's must have revealed some distaste because Xemnas turned back to her. "You are angry with me, wrapped up as always in the so-called rights of animal spirits. They are nothing but pawns to us stronger elementals. Even you, a flower spirit, are greater than they could ever hope to be. Elementals rule supreme, darkness the strongest of them all because its nothingness can envelop everything." A smirk touched his face again and he leaned down so that he and Aerith were face to face, just inches apart as his voice lowered to a rumble. "Or is it perhaps that you are so supportive of those animals only because of your pity for your bastard wolf offspring?"

In the blink of an eye, Cloud shot across the room, a snarl rumbling from deep in his throat as he struck out at Xemnas. Xemnas showed no emotion as he flicked his hand up, a Dark Shield rising just in time to deflect the enraged wolf. With one word to Saix, the blue-haired wolf spirit sprang into action and tackled Cloud from behind.

In that instant the room broke into chaos as Leon took out the two guards around him and ran to help Cloud, guards swarming over to the fight to break it up. Stepping back up onto the dais, Xemnas called out, "Restrain them all! I want them on their knees before me!"

Riku's eyes narrowed as the guards' attentions suddenly fell on the rest of them. To the side of them, one of the guards had grabbed for Roxas. Axel had snapped and called out his chakrams, ramming one of the pointed wheels into the guard's armored chestplate.

Riku knew how Axel felt as two of the guards advanced upon him and Sora, quickly pulling the prince behind him. There was no way in hell he was letting them touch him. His fingers itched to use his sword, but at the same time, he was terrified to summon it. If it had turned on Sora so easily before than it could easily do so a second time; especially with Xemnas and his influencing command on the dark element standing so close.

Hearing a feminine shriek, Riku turned to see Namine being grabbed up by one of the guards. He could only watch in horror as the guard drew a short sword from his belt, apparently trying to stop her resistance with bloodshed, when Namine suddenly stopped fighting and reached her hands up. As soon as her fingertips touched his forehead there was a bright flash of white light and the guard fell to the ground, awake but apparently stunned.

Quickly, Riku shook off his shock, reached back for Sora, then rushed forward to her. When he reached her, Riku pulled Namine close to him as well. A guard ran to restrain them but Riku sent him reeling with a punch to his jaw, one of the few places on the guards not protected by armor or a helmet.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Leon and Cloud thrown to the ground under a pile of guards, Saix pulling himself from the melee and shaking himself off as his guards pinned the other wolf and lion to the hard tiled floor. A few of Leon's cuts had reopened; it was obvious that he couldn't have done much in his weakened state even now as he tried to throw the others off. Cloud had a whole series of cuts and bruises from the initial fight with Saix.

It was with that glance that Riku realized that they weren't going to make it out of the throne room. That didn't mean that he wasn't going to go down without a fight though.

Sensing someone behind him, Riku spun around, letting out a low cry as his striking fist was caught in a tight hand that twisted his arm back until it felt ready to break.

It was Xemnas.

Riku let out a gasp of pain as Xemnas wrenched his arm back further, hissing as the sprit leaned down over him, his voice angry as he rumbled in his ear. "Xehanort's Heartless isn't nearly as strong as he should be. I don't know how you managed to diminish his power but know that the effect will not be permanent. I will return his power and you will fall. You are a disgrace to every dark element who ever lived to have sided with the old monarchy."

He released Riku's arm only to grab his throat. Riku felt his last breath of air leave his lips as Xemnas tightened his grip. "It would be a service to all our kind if I killed you right here and now." The man's lips twitched up into a cold smirk, the hand not wrapped around Riku's throat rising to touch his chin, the intimacy repulsing as Riku felt his lungs crying out for air. "Of course it will be a shame to see you die. You had such potential."

"Xemnas! Let go of him!"

There was a flash of light between him and Xemnas. Suddenly, Xemnas let out a shout of pain and Riku gulped in a greedy breath of air as he was released from the other's death grip. He stumbled back a few steps, clutching at his throat as Sora got between him and the other dark elemental, his Keyblade clutched in his hands.

Xemnas's face had twisted into a mask of rage as he clutched his arm where Sora had struck it. "Cursed fool…" Shaking his arm out, he then stretched out his fingers. His two red blades of energy materialized into his hands and he rushed forward.

When he saw Xemnas move forward, Riku couldn't help but lurch forward, crying out a hoarse, "Dark Shield!" just as Xemnas' blades crashed down. There was a crack of dark air before the shield shattered. It had done its job though, giving Riku enough time to swing his leg out, kicking Xemnas square in the chest and knocking him back against the raised dais.

Xemnas caught himself before he fell to the ground however, the air around the spirit black with his rage as he regained a strong grip on his weapons. He stood up, but didn't attack. Panting, Riku watched as the more experienced dark elemental simply surveyed everything before him. Riku felt his whole body shaking from adrenaline; he was ready for another attack, he wasn't going to let Xemnas get to Sora.

Then, suddenly, Xemnas started to chuckle. It was a cruel sound, thoroughly confusing Riku as Xemnas sent his weapons away. "Yes, you certainly do have strong hearts. And yet how easy you fall. Truly, it wasn't simply a fallacy that darkness came to reign supreme."

Riku turned his head to see that the others: Cloud, Leon, Axel and Roxas, Zexion and Demyx, Aerith; they had all been subdued and captured. And guards were approaching him from behind. He bit his lip hard but lowered his fists. The fight was over. It would be stupid to fight now when it was clear that they were beaten; that would only risk Sora and Namine getting hurt during the last struggle.

Looking down at them, Xemnas sat back down on the king's throne, lacing his fingers together. "Saix, show them to the attached sitting room. I want them gone from my sight until I think of a suitable punishment for their treasonous actions."

Saix bowed his head. "At once, Superior."

Riku could only bite his tongue and keep silent as he and the others were hustled to the side of the throne room, passing between two of the massive columns to a modest pair of doors nestled into the back wall. They were effectively tossed into the room, the double doors locking with an audible click before they were left alone.

As Riku reorganized his thoughts, he surveyed their new holding cell. It was a decent room at least, as opposed to the dungeons. There was a white theme again, but it was warmed by a crackling fire in a tall fireplace, a series of couches and armchairs and an apparent balcony view down into one of the courtyards since Riku could see a bunch of green foliage out of the window even from where he was standing.

Beside him, Sora sighed then murmured quietly, "This used to be a waiting room for important dignitaries. My parents would have them wait here until they could arrange for a private audience."

Bruised and battered as he was, Leon was the first to walk over to the balcony doors. He tested the handles and, finding them unlocked, walked out onto the balcony only to poke his head back into the room a moment later. "An escape through the courtyard's no good. Marluxia is gardening down there."

"Marluxia?"

Leon turned his head to Riku's question. "Palace groundskeeper. He's tougher than he looks."

Having been leaning against one of the walls, Cloud slammed his fist against it then stood up. Then silently, he walked toward Leon, the lion holding the door to the balcony open until he walked out with him. Then he shut it, closing their voices off. If they were even talking. Watching the two of them, Riku doubted if much conversation was going on.

Axel was the first to break the following depressed silence, the red-head releasing a long sigh as he walked over to the fireplace. "Well, we gave it our best shot." He dropped down, back literally amongst the flames in the fireplace. "At least we're out of that damned dungeon."

Roxas's eyes flashed as he turned on his Guardian. "How can you say that this situation is any better?! He has all of us now, there's no one left to come get us."

Axel frowned up at his charge then reached up to grab Roxas' wrist, in one movement tugging him down to sit in his lap and wrapping his arms around the young teen. "At least I know where you are now."

Roxas flushed a little, his expression softening as he pushed half-heartedly against Axel's shoulder. "Let me go. It's too hot this close to the fire."

"I won't let it burn you…"

Riku turned to see Sora smiling quietly at the sight, the elder prince turning to his mother. "There's not much we can do now, is there?"

Aerith shook her head. "I'm afraid not." She let out a small sigh and touched Sora's cheek gently then leaned down to tenderly kiss his forehead. "Oh, Sora…I'm so sorry, darling."

Standing at her side, Namine frowned, sympathetically resting her hand on the queen's arm. "Your Highness."

Aerith shook her head, wiping her eyes as she took Namine's hand in her own. "I'm sorry. You're just all so young. Zack and I did everything in our power to keep you all from harm, we only wanted to shape a better world for your generation. How did it come to this?"

Sora and Namine shared a look before Namine gently guided the queen to one of the couches then sat down beside her. Riku had never been more thankful that Namine was with them; he doubted if any of the rest of them could give the queen the comfort she needed right now.

With a sigh, Riku sat down on the ground where he stood, leaning his back against the wall. The other couch was being occupied by Demyx and Zexion, the two of them sitting silently together like two men on death row, any humor having been long stripped from the situation even for Demyx.

Riku glanced to the side as he heard Sora drop down beside him. Seeing Sora offer a slight smile, Riku tried to return it, offering an open hand. Sora grasped it in his own, holding it tight as he leaned against Riku's shoulder. After a moment of silence, he spoke up quietly, his murmured voice carrying just between the two of them. "Who is that girl? I think I've seen her before but I can't quite remember."

"Hm? Oh. Namine?" Riku followed Sora's gaze over to where Namine and Aerith were sitting. "She brought me back to this world. I hear she used to play with us in court."

Sora hummed thoughtfully. In the silence that followed, Riku had let his eyes close when Sora spoke up again, still in his hushed voice. "Maybe it would have been better if you hadn't come back to this world. You would have never been captured if I hadn't called out to you."

Riku's eyes flashed open and he tapped Sora's forehead rebukingly, "Hey, stop that. I would have come back for you anyway, with or without that dream. Besides, aren't you supposed to be the optimistic one between the two of us?"

Sora rubbed his forehead then let out a quiet chuckle, a small smile coming back onto his face. "Yeah, I know. But it's just a little hard to think optimistically in this situation."

"Then find something positive to think about."

Sora frowned thoughtfully then brightened, wrapping his arm around Riku's. "Well, I did get to see you again. That's good. And…I did get to see you fight. You always look so cool when you fight."

Riku had to smile at this, nudging Sora's side. "You think I'm cool when I fight?" Sora nodded. "I don't see why, I'm not any good."

"That's not true! You're really learned a lot since I first saw you again. And…I was really happy when I woke up in the dungeons and found you there with me again, it made me feel safe, like everything was going to be okay now that you were with me."

"Sora…" Riku sighed as he looked down at Sora's face. Sora really was naïve…and beautiful. Leaning down, Riku pressed his lips against Sora's. He felt Sora gasp a little before the prince sighed and leaned into the kiss, his smaller hands clutching onto Riku's chest. Suddenly, Riku was hit with reality. Xemnas was probably going to kill them as soon as they were called out of this room. Reaching up, he buried his fingers into Sora's soft brown spikes, breaking the kiss for air only to close the gap again with a new sense of desperation.

When they broke apart a second time, Riku touched his forehead to Sora's, taking the prince's hands in his own. "I'm going to save you from this mess, okay? I promise. I'll do everything in my power to save you, and your family, even if I have to die."

Sora shook his head. "Don't, don't say that."

"I have to. It's the least I could do. My family got everyone into this mess right? That's why everyone hates me. You should hate me anyway, I almost killed you myself-"

"Riku, stop!" Sora cut him off, shaking his head as he grasped Riku's hands. "Don't say that. No one hates you. And that wasn't your fault, I've already forgiven you. I could never hate you – I love you!"

Riku blinked at the force of the hushed statement as tears began to collect in Sora's eyes as the prince repeated himself.

"I love you. I always have, even when we were kids. So don't say that you're willing to die. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you, because you're not just my Guardian."

Riku nodded if for nothing else than to try and calm Sora down, every one of the tears that slid down Sora's cheeks ripping a hole in his heart. "Hey, don't, don't cry." When Sora just shook his head, Riku sighed and pulled Sora to his chest, rubbing the prince's back tenderly. "Don't cry, Sora. I'll try to look out for myself. I love you too so it's not like I'll try to get myself killed."

Sora stiffened in his arms then lifted his chin to look up at him. "What, what did you say?"

Riku smirked and wiped away Sora's tears with the side of his thumb. He couldn't believe that he was actually in love with a person like Sora; but he had to admit that it was true. "I love you." He leaned down and pecked Sora's lips. When he pulled away, the prince's face was glowing, lighting their corner of the room. Riku's smirk widened as he ruffled Sora's hair. "I love you and I'm going to take care of you, okay?"

"O-Okay." Sora's hands clenched into fists. "Okay. We can do this, Riku. After all, it's not like we're dead yet." It was amazing how positive Sora became with just a little reinforcement. "We can still fight, we have a chance to win!"

Shushing Sora so as to not attract the others' attention with his pepped up talk too soon, Riku muttered quickly. "I don't think I'll be much help in fighting, Sora."

A frown flickered onto Sora's lips and he leaned closer to Riku, "Why not? Are you hurt?"

"No, I just…" Riku let out a quick, embarrassed huff then murmured. "I just can't use my sword anymore, not if it can be used to hurt you."

Sora frowned thoughtfully for a few moments then grinned and grabbed Riku's wrist, pulling him up onto his feet. "Then we'll just have to fix your sword! Go ahead and summon it."

From over by the fireplace, Roxas stood up after hearing Sora's now raised voice. "Sora what the hell are you doing?"

"Helping Riku so he can help us beat Xemnas and his stupid guards. Summon your sword, Riku."

Hesitant, Riku nonetheless did as he was told, unable to refuse such a cheerful Sora. He outstretched his hand, feeling the dark magic coil down to his fingers as he focused on summoning his Soul Eater. When it appeared in his hand, the weight felt strange, like regaining control of a limb that hadn't been used in a while. At this point, Axel was also standing, and Sora had everybody's attention in the room as he held his hand over the weapon. "If Xemnas was able to control this sword because it had so much dark magic, then adding a little light to the mix should make it easier to handle."

Riku was a little afraid of Sora's logic but still held Soul Eater still as Sora hovered his hands over the weapon. He figured that Zexion would say something if the situation was actually dangerous. But just to be sure…"Hey…Zexion, what do you know about this sort of thing?"

Coming out of his reverie, Zexion merely shrugged. "Very little. Mixing magic types is not my forte as Xemnas did not require me to study it. This may prove to be an interesting experiment."

Riku felt a little part inside of him quail at the thought of this being an _interesting experiment_ but Sora went ahead with his plans. The palms of his hands began to glow with pure white light, the field of light slowly expanding and enveloping Riku's blade. The light was such that it managed to catch Cloud and Leon's attention from outside. As Leon pushed the door open, Riku felt the light washing over the hand gripping the hilt of his sword. It was soothingly warm, but at the same time, it was causing his skin to prickle with irritation. He figured that his dark magic wasn't able to handle the pure light well and he hung onto his weapon.

He felt it changing around his hand but the light around it was so bright that he couldn't bear to look at it. The best he could tell was that the weight had increased; his arm was starting to ache from having to hold it perfectly horizontal for as long as he was. Gritting his teeth, he finally spoke up, "Sora…"

"Almost done!"

Sweat was beginning to collect on Sora's brow but he apparently ignored it with his chipper reply. The rest of the group remained silent probably out of curiosity for a final few seconds before Sora closed his hands, letting them fall to his sides as the light around the sword slowly began to fade.

What Riku saw when the light had faded sufficiently took his breath away. Soul Eater had become a Keyblade of sorts. The demonic blade wing had straightened, the grip now surrounded by a guard formed from a smaller black and an angelic wing. The tip of the blade ended as Sora's Keyblade did, but instead of a key shape, it was instead a curved angel's wing. And though the blade was heavier, it felt so much cleaner. The darkness had been thinned out, and it lifted a weight from Riku's shoulders.

He was so surprised at how beautiful his blade had become that he was almost grateful when Roxas walked over to him and held his hand out. Riku passed the weapon to Roxas. The youth's blond eyebrows furrowed as he balanced the weapon in his hands, his blue eyes, sharper than his brothers though a few good years younger, sliding up to Sora, his expression almost accusing. "You made it a Keyblade?"

Sora shrugged, a goofy smile brightening his face as he wiped his brow. "It's the weapon I know best. Besides, he is my Guardian, now everyone can know visually that the two of us are connected. We match now!"

Roxas rolled his eyes as Axel snickered behind him then tossed the sword back to Riku. Riku caught the grip easily, testing its arc with a simple swing before he turned to Sora. Soul Eater certainly had transformed into something special. The name though didn't seem to suit the new blade. "Can it have a new name?"

"Hm? A new name?" Sora tapped his chin thoughtfully then smiled softly. "How about 'Way to the Dawn'?"

Riku looked down at his sword then back up at Sora, a slow smirk crossing his lips as he nodded. Sometimes Sora revealed his poetic intelligence in a way that simply amazed him. "I like that."

"Way to the Dawn, hm?" Leon's rumble cut through the warm silence, shattering Riku's momentary world where it was just him and Sora. "Prince Sora, you seem to have forgotten our current predicament. At the moment dawn seem rather out of reach, so matter how simple the path may appear."

Sora shook his head. "No, Riku was right in saying that we have to stay positive, otherwise Xemnas really will have won."

"Riku said that?"

Riku turned to Axel, crossing his arms when at the other's incredulous tone. "Well technically I only wanted Sora to cheer up. Personally I don't see a see a way of this."

"Riku…" Oh no, he couldn't look over at Sora now. He could hear a pout on the other's lips. But just _knowing_ it was there was enough to make him want to cave. Damn, Sora had him wrapped around his finger.

Crossing his arms tighter across his chest, Riku shook his head. "Look, Sora. I wasn't lying when I said that I'd do my best to protect you, but I'm not sure how much of a fighting chance we'll actually have. I don't even know what's happening next, all I know is that we're stuck in here and Xemnas is outside."

"Undoubtedly, right now, the Superior is considering his options and deciding out punishment." All eyes turned to Zexion as he began to speak. "During similar situations to this where he would come across a dissenter, the Superior would often summon me for my opinion on the matter. No matter what I offered, he would often choose execution. My most accurate guess is that he will isolate us from one another then kill us. It would be the safest option for the Superior."

Sitting beside the smaller spirit on the couch, Demyx suddenly turned to Zexion, his expression troubled. "Why do you call him 'Superior' still? He's going to kill all of us, why do you keep using his title?"

Zexion's eyes narrowed, "I would not restrain from using your title of 'water god' even if you were to kill me. Like you, although not nearly so benevolent, Xemnas is to be respected and so I will continue to use his title to the last moment."

Demyx flushed, lifting his hands to pull at his hair in exasperation. "Ah, sometimes it's like I don't understand a thing you say. I am not a spirit to be respected. I'm still so thirsty, I can barely think straight."

With a shake of his head, Axel looked around the room. Riku scanned the area again as well; there was no trace of water. Sighing, Axel scratched the back of his head. "That's why it sucks to be a god, I guess. I was good with just a little boost of fire, but you're going to need a whole lot more of your element to get back to feeling like yourself again. Sorry, Dem, looks like you're going to have to hold out for a while longer."

Groaning, Demyx raked his fingers through his styled hair then ran his hands down his pale face. "Man, and I don't even have my sitar to distract me…"

Zexion pursed his lips then reached into his cloak. He pulled a scrap of paper from his sleeve and set it into his palm. Cupping his other hand over the paper, he closed his eyes, a moment later pulling the top hand away to reveal the paper unfolding passed its capacity; another illusion. Demyx's posture brightened, a spark coming back into his eyes as he watched the paper continued to twist into a larger form into the shape of a sitar.

"This is about what yours looked like, am I correct?"

"Its exactly right, except its paper colored instead of blue." Despite the color, it was obvious that Demyx was happy as he gently took the paper instrument. "But there aren't any strings…"

"Draw your hand over it like you normally would, it should make sound."

Demyx did as he was told, a grin stretching across his face when he brushed his fingers over the front of the instrument to hear a quiet chord resound from the paper sitar. Even Riku had to smile when he saw Sora walk over curiously to perch on the arm of the couch next to Demyx; the crown prince just as entranced with the music as Demyx. They really did have compatible personalities. At least the two of them could distract the rest of the group for a while. Well, the others could pretend to be distracted.

Looking around the room, Riku could easily see that Leon and Cloud were still somber, leaning against the wall close beside each other. Zexion, despite his efforts to cheer Demyx was himself staring out at the floor, his lips pressed together tightly. Aerith had moved over to sit in the armchair next to Sora, Roxas having curled up next to her on the ground, his small body looking younger than ever sitting on the ground.

Sharing a glance over the royals' heads, Riku found the same concern in Axel's eyes. As Guardians, they weren't going to be able to do much to help their charges if they were pulled apart.

Suddenly, an echo rang through the room, immediately halting all pretenses of diversion. Straight shouldered, Leon, the closest to the door, pulled himself away from the wall. The door opened but instead of one of the guards, or Saix, a great burly shoulder appeared from behind the door. It was Lexaus, carrying an armful of food and a tray full of pitchers and cups. Zexion had stood up when the giant spirit had entered the room, new life clear in his visible eye, the other hidden behind that veil of violet hair. "Lexaeus."

"I came as soon as I heard you had been taken here. It did take me a while to convince the Superior to give you a last meal."

"If he let you in here, then he either already suspects your stance in this rebellion or he believes in your loyalty."

Lexeaus frowned slightly, glancing once to the door before his voice turned cold. "You know very well that I am no traitor like you, Zexion. I cannot believe you would do something so foolish and then get caught."

Zexion frowned, crossing his arms, waiting for Lexeaus to close the door before he spoke up again. "What do you have for us?"

"At the moment, nothing but food and water. And it was a good decision, Saix came to check the dishes before I reached the door. You really got yourself in deep, Zexion."

Both of them all business, Zexion quickly took the water pitcher and walked it over to Demyx. The water god eagerly took it, drinking it down as Zexion turned back to Lexeus. "Can you get us out?"

"No. Not right now." Lexaeus handed Riku the covered tray. It was heavier than the burly man had made it look, and Riku quickly set the silver cover down on the floor, revealing several plates of well-prepared food. As he distributed it amongst the others, Lexaeus began to talk again. "But Xigbar was the one who alerted me to what had happened to you, and if anyone can help you right now, it will be him."

One of Zexion's eyebrows lifted. "If you could talk to Xigbar, then we need a plan. Since you cannot get us out without someone noticing from the throne room, then you should focus on retrieving what weapons were confiscated, in particular those of Cloud and Leon's since those of the others can simply be summoned. If Xigbar focuses on getting us out of this room, then the two of you can agree upon a time to meet."

As the two of them continued to speak to each other, Riku moved over to where Sora was sitting with his family. When he saw him approaching, Sora smiled and reached out his hand. "See? We still have people who can help us. We will get out of here, and we can fight and win."

Smiling, Riku shook his head but grasped Sora's hand, crouching down next to him. "Yeah, we might have a chance."

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	17. Chapter 17

Haha, finally got this sucker out! ^^ I've noticed that reviews are slowing down a bit, I think school and whatnot always gets busier around this time. So keep up the good work, dudes! Reviewers are my heroes and get my undying gratitude. ;) Thanks for all the reviewers for my last chapter: 73n5Hl, Ryuacchi, DieChan, Chaotic Darkness, Aindel S. Druida, FlurryDivider, Shinimegami7, Mirror and Darkling, Ultima Phoenix, zi-ling, Staple Queen, andhearts, Dust to Dusk, xLion-Heartx, A-chan, LiteraryMirage, CloudedMirror89!

I love you all! ^^

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Chapter 17

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While Lexaeus was there, they found some peace and were able to eat their meal. Riku made sure to let Sora eat with his family, though he couldn't help but stay close to his charge. That meant that he had to sit on the ground next to the couch, but now wasn't the time to care about that sort of thing. When Namine came to sit next to him on the floor, he didn't protest. With her and Sora, Riku almost felt as if he was with some sort of family. It helped to calm him, to focus on eating instead of wondering what they were going to go up against.

Riku looked up when he felt a few feather-light touches on the top of his head, smirking softly when he saw Sora's hand draped over the arm of the couch. Reaching up he caught the hand and gave it a small squeeze. Sora returned the gesture, Riku could almost feel his smile, and then they each went back to their meals. Just that little touch though was enough for the moment, a small indication that they were both still there. Sitting next to him, Namine smiled, her knowing expression making him roll his eyes. "Do you have something to say?"

"Hm. No, I suppose it's just nice to see you happy. You never smiled when we were in Destiny Islands. I had half-thought that you had forgotten how."

Riku huffed, his dignity forcing his smile down as he refocused on his food. Namine merely giggled at the sight, clearly no longer buying his cool front anymore now that she had seen a hint of his smile.

Lexaeus remained with them until they had finished eating then collected everyone's plates and, with one last word to Zexion, left the room with them all balanced back on his arms. The burly man gave them one last look before closing the door behind him. When he was gone, Zexion turned to Leon and Cloud, the three of them bowing their heads together for close conversation. Seeing that they were coming up with a plan, Axel walked over from where he was standing behind Roxas at the couch to join them. Riku figured that he could benefit by going over as well, to see what the plan was, but he couldn't bring himself to care all that much. He still wasn't into fighting as a group too much; his job was to protect Sora. The others could take care of themselves.

He had just twisted around to talk to Sora when there was a knock on the door. More demanding this time. Zexion, closest to the door, didn't even have time to pull away from his conversation when the door swung open, revealing one of Saix's guards. His expression was blank as he announced in a dead tone. "Lord Superior has requested young Jenovan's presence."

There was a frozen silence. Then, all eyes turned to Riku.

Riku was shocked for a second then closed his eyes. Fine. He'd play Xemnas' game. Better him than one of the others anyway. With his dark elemental powers he might actually have a chance. With only a quiet grunt, he pushed himself up onto his feet, brushing his pants off before he straightened up.

He had barely moved half a step toward the door when a hand latched onto his. Aquamarine eyes flashed open and he looked down to see Sora clinging onto him. The sight broke his heart a little but he nonetheless pulled his hand away, lifting it to ruffle Sora's hair. "Don't worry, it will be okay."

Sora frowned then shook his head and grabbed Riku's hand again. He stood up, "I'm going with you."

Near the door, Leon crossed his arms, his glare icy as he addressed the guard. "If one of us is summoned, we are all summoned. We leave as a team or not at all."

The guard, who seemed to have not noticed that Leon, Cloud, Axel, and Zexion were standing quite so close, quailed a little, shrinking back behind the door though he kept at his duty. "The Lord Superior anticipated you would say that and said to tell you that he merely wishes to speak to Jenovan. He will not tolerate disobedience."

Leon bristled but before things could get out of hand, Riku spoke up. "I'll go." All eyes turned to him again, most of the gazes incredulous, especially Leon's. With a frown and firm hand on the shoulder, Riku gently pushed Sora back down onto the couch. "Look. If he only wants to talk, then I'll go see him." He smirked, a show of feigned confidence if nothing else. "He probably wants to try and convince me to go to his side again. Who knows, maybe I can cut some deal and get you guys out of this mess."

"Riku," Sora's voice was barely above a whisper. "Don't lie."

Shaking his head, Riku allowed his smirk to grow. "You don't think I'd lie to you, do you? Everything will be fine. He wouldn't kill another dark elemental. We are the master race after all. He wouldn't risk losing one of his own kind."

Sora still looked unconvinced; Riku figured if he were in his place he'd be skeptical too, but its not like they had any option to be unruly. None of them were at their best right now, everyone was sporting at least some exhaustion or injury, and if Xemnas really did mention conversation…well, he'd have to hope that there was at least some truth to that. He could talk his way out of a lot, hopefully even the death penalty. Ruffling Sora's hair one last time, he stepped away and sauntered toward the door.

Axel caught his arm on the way out, the redhead not saying anything though the look in his eyes was expressive enough. A warning for caution. Riku made sure to meet the acid-green gaze with a steady one of his own though and sure enough Axel released him a second later, allowing him to walk over to the guard. Inwardly, Riku was touched that Axel finally seemed to care about his wellbeing again, but he wasn't going to let anyone stir up a fuss. If he was going out, he was going to do it with quiet dignity or in a blaze of glory, not in some pell-mell scramble fighting alongside half-dead spirits. He did have some self-respect after all.

The guard appeared relieved to say the least as he pulled Riku out of the sitting room and back into the throne room, closing the door behind them with the definitive click of a lock. There were four more guards waiting just outside the door as an escort force, but Riku was surprised to see that except for them, the throne room had been emptied. "Hey," he turned to the guards as a group, "Where did Xemnas and Saix go? I thought he wanted to see me."

One of the guards, it was hard to distinguish them as individuals in full uniform with helmet and all, but certainly not the timid one from before, spoke up. "Silence, prisoner. The Superior has ordered we transfer you to the infirmary. Come quietly unless you want us to resort to physical violence."

Riku crossed his arms, not impressed. "They're taking me all the way to the infirmary?" He tisked. "This better be worth my time." It was easier to act like a spoiled rich kid when he didn't know what was going on. Sort of like a safety zone. At least he knew how people reacted to that attitude.

Sure enough the guard scowled but said little, undoubtedly disgusted yet intimidated. None of them tried to grab him though, everyone content with allowing him to walk in the middle of their circle. It was a silent walk, the only noise as they walked out of the throne room was the sound of the guard's clanking armor. Though Riku kept his calm and continued to walk at an even pace, he continued to look at his situation from his peripheral vision.

The guards looked weak on their own but all five of them together would be hard to take down. They were carrying spears anyway, and had short swords strapped onto their belt. The armor was rather troublesome too. Riku guessed that he could probably take two of them out immediately after summoning his sword with one strike, he could protect himself from the first few blows with a Dark Shield, but there was a strong possibility that they could still overwhelm him. And getting out of the palace would be a bother; he still wasn't quite familiar with the layout yet. Plus, he had the safety of Sora and the others to worry about.

So right now he would just have to wait it out. He pursed his lips and straightened his shoulders, setting his gaze to one of irritated indifference as he was marched down the halls.

The infirmary was a good distance away from the throne room, but still within the part of the palace which was the most elegantly decorated. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the light from the inner courtyards, scented with the flowers outside, shone into the large stretching windows along one side of the hallways. There was no warmth to the light though, no change in temperature when they crossed between shadow and light. Apparently a place overwhelmed by darkness could only manage a thin imitation of light that probably only existed for the sake of the flowers.

The doors to the infirmary were familiar yet at the same time foreign to Riku when they finally arrived. It seemed as if he had seen it for the first time only a few days ago, when he had been with Axel, looking for the princes for the first time. He had had no idea what he had been doing back then. Well, he still had no idea what he was doing, but at least he knew more now than he did then.

As the guards in front of him pushed open the double doors, Riku first saw Saix standing in the middle of the room. Their eyes locked, amber meeting teal, before Saix lifted his chin and turned his head to the side. "Superior! He's here."

The guards around Riku fell back, leaving him hovering a few feet inside the room as they went to line up against the door, insurance that he didn't try to escape. Crossing his arms again, Riku watched as Xemnas and Vexen came out from the side room, Vexen's office.

"Jenovan." It seemed as if Xemnas was back to acting cordial. "So good of you to come."

"It wasn't as if I had much of a choice." Riku's eyes narrowed as he saw Saix slip around to his side. The blue-haired spirit looked relaxed enough, but it was probable that they were getting in position for something or another. His gaze snapped back to Xemnas as the other shifted. "I heard you wanted a conversation."

"And I do. Vexen, finish your project."

Leaning against the door frame to his office, Vexen let out a quiet huff. "I only want you to know that this is not my forte. I am a scientist, not an engineer, and certainly not an expert in this subject."

"Yes well the current expert is currently in custody. Please, continue if you want to join him."

Vexen's face darkened but he held his tongue and sunk back into his office, turning Xemnas' attention back to Riku. For his part, Riku was filled with a burning curiosity as to what those two were working on. Whatever it was, it was undoubtedly going to be trouble.

"Now, Jenovan, I apologize for my actions earlier in the throne room. Though I have been disappointed in you in the past, I can recognize that you have been misguided up until now."

Riku frowned. "I don't plan on simply forgetting death threats."

Xemans looked down at him for a moment then let out a harsh laugh. "For a moment it was as if I was seeing your father again. You carry yourself the same way, radiate the same aura he did when he was first given the task of guarding the king. You went back to the human world not so long ago, how is he?"

Xemnas spoke so casually about the dead king and his father. Bristling, Riku clenched his fist, taking a deep breath to calm himself so as to not snap. He knew Xemnas was goading him, the best he could do was not give Xemnas the pleasure of seeing him riled up. "He's as successful as always. He'd have nothing to say to you though, and I certainly can't blame him. This world has gone to hell since you usurped the throne."

"You truly have been among degenerates. Only the weak can complain of what I have done to this world. I have simply wiped it clean of those who stood in my way of creating something greater, a greater race of spirits. Under Zack's rule, the animal population got out of control, he actually allowed it to run rampant. It was disturbing watching the spirit world fall so far; it was as if we were being forced to live with humans. Can you imagine? Wiping them out was a blessing. They were a part of history. With their deaths they opened the doors to a new greater species!"

Riku couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're insane," he spat out. "It's going to be hard to repopulate a world when there's no one left!"

"I have chosen specific remaining members to send back into the countryside. It will take time but the results will be worth the effort. I was considering allowing you to survive from amongst your group. It would be a shame to destroy another dark elemental after all. If you were to renounce your precious prince then a place in the new court could be in your future instead of death."

"Thanks, but I'll pass. I'm not going to have any part in your sick fantasy, especially if it would mean living in this world as it is now. I'd go crazy."

Xemnas sneered. "You accept the darkness of your element, yet choose to live in the light. I had anticipated such idealistic foolish words coming from your lips and yet I still find myself disappointed again. You would die with your pathetic group of dissidents and I would remain here as the only element of darkness in this world. Of course, I could always go to the human world and try to convince your father to return."

Riku threw his hand out, snapping "Leave him out of this. He wants nothing more to do with you. Didn't he make that clear by leaving and taking all of us with him?"

"It was not his right to take away the entire Jenovan family, the last great clan of dark elementals." Xemnas paused at this before a thoughtful frown replaced his frustration. Riku didn't like that expression. He didn't want his father involved with this man. Although he had no strong love for Sephiroth, he now could see what his father had dealt with when working with his man. He understood why his father had run, and he could now say respected his decision. "Although your father might not have any interest in the glorious future of this world, perhaps your brothers would. They were rather young when I last saw them, however I remember they were quite tenacious about the superiority of our race."

Now Riku was worried. His brothers would definitely listen to this guy. "What are you talking about? We're not even really a different race! We just deal with different magic! We just balance each other out, there's no one better or worse." He didn't even know what nonsense he was spouting, it sounded like something Sora would say, but maybe if he could just try and make a point. He clenched his fists. "Don't pretend we're any better than anyone else." His brothers would eat that stuff up.

Xemnas frowned, stalking forward. He grabbed the front of Riku's vest. "That is where you are wrong. Dark elemental is superior because we are nothingness. We can overwhelm everything in our paths. Light is weak compared to us, it can be snuffed with a snap of our fingers. Living things die, both creatures and plants. We can conquer everything."

Scowling, Riku lifted his head so that they were nearly nose to nose. He was not going to back down. "You're overestimating yourself. Darkness is just another power. Why else are there a few hours of dawn sneaking into the windows of your own palace, oh great Superior? That dawn is Sora and Roxas. Are you really saying that they can get an edge in on you?" Riku managed a laugh, "Besides, you couldn't even get to the human world if you wanted to. It takes an animal spirit which you hate so much. Or maybe you're going to have your dog go and get all three of my brothers, but I doubt he could manage it. He's not that strong."

Xemnas' face darkened, twisting into a silent sort of rumbling rage. Then he threw Riku to the side. Riku let out a cry of pain as his back connected with the metal footboard of one of the infirmary cots. He caught himself on the bed before he could fall onto the ground only to have Saix grab one of his shoulders. It probably wasn't a good idea to have just insulted Saix after all. He hissed as he felt claws dig into his skin, shaking his silver hair out of his face as he gazed up at Xemnas through his bangs. Still scowling, the other dark spirit nodded his head. The next second, Riku felt a fist connect with his stomach, so fast he hadn't been able to see it coming. It knocked the air out of him and sapped the strength out of his legs. If Saix hadn't also been holding onto him, he would have fallen to the floor.

Coughing, he tried to focus as he heard Xemnas bark in a loud voice. "Vexen! I want it finished, now!" He strode over to Riku in three steps. Grabbing him out of Saix's grasp, he heaved Riku up into a straight position again. "You might find Vexen's project interesting yourself, Jenovan. It is true that traveling to the human world and transporting pure-blood dark elementals would be taxing for my servant, and I certainly would not want to tire him when we have your little group to deal with. Even if Sephiroth will not come with us, your brothers certainly will; I recall their zeal well."

As Xemnas finished speaking, Vexen stepped out of his office, holding piece of paper in his hand. Exasperated, Vexen walked over to the two of them, waving the paper in frustration. "Your demanding makes it extremely difficult to focus, but I believe I have completed the spell to a significant level. Some of the symbols are irritatingly arcane."

Xemnas snatched the paper from Vexen's thin fingers, his amber eyes scanning the text. Then a smirk slowly appeared across his lips and he looked over to Vexen. "I am looking forward to see if this is successful. Take the guards and bring him to me."

"…at once, Superior."

As Vexen left the room with the guards, Xemnas left Riku to go to the center of the infirmary floor, between the two rows of empty cots. For some reason, Riku found it strange to watch him stoop down to set the paper on the floor; he had never seen the Superior do so much work by himself. The older dark spirit had become calm again, apparently satisfied by his situation.

Narrowing his eyes, Riku rubbed his stomach; there was definitely going to be a bruise there within a few hours. "You're crazier than I thought…What the hell is that anyway, some sort of spell?"

"Very good, Jenovan. I see that you have the capacity to learn after all. Although it is not so surprising that you would have identified this object as a spell. Zexion must have been a traitor far longer than what I had imagined." Riku bit his lip. Damn, he might have just messed things up. "This small piece of paper is the key to regaining the rest of your family. Instead of being forced to rely on those filthy animals we elementals have been working on a way to catch portals so to speak, trapping them as they whisk about from place to place."

Riku twisted around to glance back at Saix. "And you just take that? Being called a filthy animal?"

Xemnas answered for him. "One must accept the truth, no matter how harsh it may be."

Still looking at Saix, Riku sneered. "Cloud wouldn't put up with that. Guess that shows who's really the strongest though."

This got a reaction from him. With a snarl, the wolf spirit launched forward, tackling Riku to the ground. Riku threw up his hands to defend himself as Saix's clawed hands tore through the collar of his vest as he was heaved off of the ground. "That lone wolf is a disgrace to even our kind!"

Clenching his fist, Riku swung at Saix, catching the side of his jaw. A knee to the gut startled him just enough to twist out from underneath him, one hand flying to his slashed collar as his other swung down, summoning his new sword into his hand. Way to the Dawn flashed proudly and he clutched to it like his lifeline, both hands wrapping around the new hilt as he moved to get them both in his sights.

Xemnas took in the scene then let out a deep chuckle, his amusement sounding fake even to Riku's ears. "Such tenacity. And I see that your precious prince has tampered with my gift to you. It reeks of light magic now. Such a perfect creation ruined."

"An improvement from my perspective."

Xemnas scowled. "Such a disgrace. Despite your renewed confidence, you are still no match against my skills." He lifted his hand and Riku suddenly found himself surrounded by a field of transparent black, crackling energy. Grimacing, Riku ran to the shield, slashing at it with his sword only to be stung with a frozen strike of pain shooting down the weapon. He pulled back into the center of the field, panting as he shook out his numb hands. It must have been his imagination, but he suddenly felt more light-headed. What a horrible time to lose focus. "If you are feeling weaker, it is not your imagination. My magic shield is slowly draining you of your strength. It will take longer with you since you are a pure-blood dark elemental and have a great reservoir of strength, but soon enough you will barely be even to move."

Bristling, Riku lashed out at the field of energy again, putting all his energy behind the attack. Way of the Dawn struck the shield straight on. The black energy crackled and fractured, inky fissures spreading out from the strike point only to seal back up a moment later.

It had cracked but Riku knew that he could probably break through it. He didn't know what was happening next though, it might be a better idea to conserve his energy for whatever they were planning later on. So Riku lowered his sword, glowering at Xemnas as the tip touched the white marble floor. Xemnas smirked at the motion. "Very good. By not fighting, you are conserving your energy." The elder spirit turned back to the piece of paper on the ground, for all the world looking as if he had forgotten about Riku's presence at all and was instead merely speaking to himself. "Of course it is that same kind of energy which will activate this spell. Did you know that when an animal spirit comes across a portal, they need to use some of their energy in order to properly open it? Their particular strain of magic, undoubtedly connecting to the sordid energy of the human world, is unique in that regard, but luckily, just as your energy is being sapped from you as we speak, theirs can be taken as well. And once that energy is taken, it can be stored for eternity, simply waiting to be used."

Xemnas paused his monologue when there was a knock on the infirmary doors. He sent Saix a glance, inciting the wolf to walk over to open them. Vexen came in and Riku's eyes widened when he saw Zexion hustled along behind him by the guards.

Zexion's expression was blank. He only glanced once over to Riku in his cage of black magic but his sharp blue eyes showed no indication of acknowledgement.

As Zexion was escorted inside, Xemnas motioned down to the paper on the ground. "I assume you recognize this well enough?"

With a frown, Zexion strode stiffly forward to stand side by side his Superior. He looked so small, yet his voice was strong and as steady as Riku had ever heard it. "I must inquire what you are doing with that and which of you felt as if you had the expertise to complete the runes?"

"Vexen finished the spell for me, since you were indisposed."

"Vexen is not qualified for such a task." Vexen scowled but Zexion continued without even sparing a glance at the scientist. "This was a delicate spell. A mistake of a single ink stroke in one of the symbols could result in disastrous effects. I had not even finished the research myself, so I have no idea if this will even work. The runes in my notes were nothing but speculations."

"Speculations are tested by experimentation." Vexen's clipped tone cut through Zexion's quiet rant. "It does no good if theory simply sits on a moldy library shelf to rot."

Finally, Zexion turned to Vexen, his shoulders squared as he lifted his chin in a show of surprisingly fierce defiance. Apparently the way to rile him was to insult his work. "And just how are you going to run this little experiment? If you forget, that spell will be nothing but ink and paper until it receives the right amount of energy. Who are you going to use? One of the guards? Saix?"

"Why waste loyal servants?" Xemnas lifted his hand and suddenly the walls of black energy around Riku fell away. Riku was stunned and confused, his momentary hesitation allowing Xemnas to continue. The Superior clapped his gloved hand on Zexion's slim shoulder. "Good help is hard to come by during these times. It would be much more prudent to sacrifice those who are no longer useful. Besides, isn't it a researcher's dream to live and die for their work?"

Riku's saw Zexion's visible eye widen, the other covered by his screen of violet hair as Xemnas shoved him forward a few steps. Far enough for him to snap his fingers and cause the field of energy which was around Riku just a few moments ago to spring up around Zexion.

Riku was still in a slight state of shock, but Zexion immediately seemed to realize the danger he was in because when he spoke next his voice held a sharp edge. He reached forward to press his hands against the inside of the shield but was immediately rebuffed, the bookish spirit shaking his shocked hands out with barely a wince. "Don't do this Xemnas. This spell was meant to accompany pure animal magic. I am not an animal."

"No, you are some mixed and muddled half-breed, a disgusting freak of nature. Your intelligence saved you up to this point but now that you have disobeyed me you must be punished for your actions and even your existence."

Xemnas waved his hand, a judicious sweep over the air. The crackling black shield suddenly collapsed in onto Zexion, completely enveloping him in the dark shell. With a shout, Riku ran forward to help his comrade but was grabbed from the side by Saix, the wolf holding him back as Zexion let out a cry of pain. It appeared as though Zexion could barely move, his body twisting disturbingly before he suddenly slumped forward in a dead faint. The blackness seemed to only glow thicker and more opaque as Zexion fell to the ground, the smaller spirit's magic sapped into the shield.

Riku cried out, his face pale. "Hey! What the hell did you do to him?!" With a snarl, he used the side of his sword to push Saix away, taking a swipe at the wolf before rushing to Zexion's side. He tried to put his hand on the other's shoulder but the black shield around him, now molded tightly over his skin, zapped his fingertips. Hissing, he twisted around to glare at Xemnas. "Get this thing off of him!"

Xemnas smirked and made a small motion with his hand. The black shield plastering Zexion's body flew off, collecting into a small sphere in the palm of his gloved hand. Zexion was shaking violently, his skin ice cold as he sucked in desperate gasping breaths. Riku recognized the effects of overexposure to dark magic, but he himself could do little to help Zexion since his touch also undoubtedly felt freezing as well.

Riku stood up, eyes flashing with rage as he adjusted his hold on his sword. "Xemnas! What do you think you're doing?!"

"I am creating history." Xemnas walked over to the paper on the ground, sphere of energy in his hand.

Riku looked down when he felt fingers suddenly grasp onto the hem of his pants, eyebrows furrowing together with concern as Zexion attempted to speak. "…Stop….stop him….he mustn't touch the paper… !"

Not needing to be told twice, Riku launched himself forward. He saw Saix running at him from the side but he knew he could get at Xemnas first. He had just pulled his sword back for a strike when suddenly he felt a rush of cold cling onto his feet, stopping his movement instantly. His feet had been covered in ice, locking him to the hard floor. Riku twisted around to see Vexen smirking at him, the doctor's face cold as he flicked his finger upward, causing the ice to climb up Riku's legs, freezing him to his very bones. Their eyes made contact before he slashed down to chop away at the ice holding him. The damage had been done though, and just as he freed one of his feet Xemnas dropped the sphere of energy down onto the piece of paper.

There was a flash of light. The air crackled over the paper as a beam of light shot up from the sheet, the beam pulling apart to reveal the twisting glare of the pathway between worlds. From Riku's limited knowledge, it appeared unstable, the edges of the portal appearing ripped and frayed; not at all like the portal shape Namine had created.

Xemnas though, seemed fine with the appearance of the portal. In fact, he appeared more content than Riku had ever seen him, true pleasure on his face for the first time. He nodded to Saix. "Go to the human world, to the same place where you sent young Jenovan. Find the rest of his family and bring them back to this world. Let them know that they will be welcomed with all the glory befitting princes of a new species. That should attract their attention. And be quick, I have little patience left."

"No!" Riku hacked desperately at the ice clinging to his other foot. "Don't you dare! You don't know what you're doing!"

Scowling, Xemnas looked over Riku's head to the guards. "Take these two back with the others. I no longer wish to look at them."

Riku felt hands grabbing his arms but could only watch Saix disappear through the dangerous-looking portal. The wolf spirit had shown no hesitation using the portal. The rest of the ice around Riku's legs crumbled as he was dragged off, Vexen finally releasing him from his freezing prison as he was taken away. It required two of the men to carry Zexion away as the spirit didn't even have the energy to stand not to mention walk. Riku seethed as they were led out of the infirmary, but there was little he could say now that Xemnas was no longer within hearing range. That so-called Superior had no idea what he was doing. Bringing his brothers would lead to nothing but trouble. He knew that Kadaj especially was greedy for power. Yazoo and Loz always followed their brother, though fierce in their own rights. Each one would definitely take the chance to live in a world where they had ultimate power, where they could claim to be the ultimate race.

So he silently seethed as the guards ushered him along, taking quick glances every few seconds over to Zexion to make sure that the other was still breathing. Zexion's face was ashen white, his body nearly entirely limp. He needed to get Zexion help, but he didn't know what would give the smaller spirit his strength back.

They had been marched along for a few minutes, well away from the infirmary when they turned a corner to see Xigbar walking toward them. The spirit's expression was relaxed as he approached them, gun arrow weapons resting casually on his shoulders. His eyes brightened when he saw them and he switched both weapons to one hand, slinging the other now free one over the nearest guard's shoulders. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Lord Xigbar, sir. We're taking these prisoners to the waiting room adjacent to the throne room, as per the Lord Superior's order."

"Man, that dude is so strict. He's probably kept you guys there forever right? That guy totally just keeps going on and one. Feels like my ears start to bleed whenever he opens his mouth, you know?" A weak chuckle rippled through the guards. They must have really liked Xigbar if he was able to loosen them just a little after being in the tense atmosphere Xemnas had created. "Hey, I've got an idea. You dudes definitely deserve a break. I'll take these losers off your hands so you can have some time to relax."

One of the guards frowned, speaking up anxiously as he adjusted his grip on his spear. "But Lord Xigbar, we couldn't. These are powerful spirits, Jenovan even dared to go against Lord Superior."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I can handle anything these two can throw at me." Chuckling, Xigbar walked over to Riku, his smirk turning feral as he jammed one of his gun arrows underneath Riku's chin. A gasp of pain escaped him against his will as the sharp point dug into the soft skin of his chin. "See, weak as a puppy. The Superior must have knocked the cocky right out of him. And that guy looks ready to keel over any second. But I guess that's what happens to smart-ass librarians, right? He got what he deserved in my opinion." He dropped his sword and winked at his guards. "Besides, you've got to give me the chance to work my magic every so often, don't want me to get rusty, right?"

One of the guards chuckled. "I don't think you'll ever get rusty."

"I will unless you dudes don't give me work to do every so often. Now get going, get some rest. I'll take care of these two then meet up with you guys in the guard tower for a game of cards, alright?"

It was a veiled command and the guards could do little to talk back to their commanders. They filed back and Xigbar grabbed onto Zexion before he could hit the ground, turning to Riku as his men left around the corner. "You walk beside me, got that, punk? Try running and you'll have an arrow through your gut and be dead before you even knew you were hit."

Riku raised an eyebrow, waiting a second before murmuring low, "What took you so long?"

"Look, little dude, a guy can't just waltz into one of Xemnas's meetings. I figured if I hovered around the door long enough I'd at least get to catch your dead bodies. And look at that, I was right. Hold on a sec." He disappeared with a small snap of air, reappearing a few seconds later. "Alright, grab hold."

Riku obediently latched onto Xigbar's arm, the familiar feeling of the world tumble around him before his feet were back on solid ground. Before he knew what had hit him, a smaller body was latched onto his chest.

It took Riku a moment but then he smiled, resting his hand on the other's head. "Sora…"

"You're okay! I'm so relieved!"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He lifted his head to see that they were apparently back in the kitchen. Xigbar had vanished but Cloud was guarding the swinging kitchen door. The burly Lexaeus was supporting Zexion as Demyx tried to get some response from the drained spirit, the water god doing his best with a damp cloth to revive Zexion a bit. Leon, Aerith, Namine, Axel, and Roxas were clustered tightly together, talking amongst themselves in hushed voices. Riku realized with a start that Leon and Cloud had managed to get their swords back somehow. "What's the plan?"

Having overheard the question, Leon turned around to face the two of them. "We'll need to know what happened between you and Xemnas, but as of now, the plan is to fight. If we can get out near the walls near to where Xigbar can muster as much men as he can, we can pull together a good fight." He paused for a moment then tilted his head to the side, possibly a hint of a smile finding its way onto his lips. "It's good that you at least came out unscathed; we'll need all the fighting strength we can get, and you've had more than enough training."

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	18. Chapter 18

Alright guys! You have been awesome reviewers and readers! I've had midterms, papers, and finals to worry about, but I perservere and update because I know you dudes are out there. So, pat yourselves on the back! ^^ And I know you guys can totally breach 300 reviews! Go, readers, go! I have total faith in you!

And thanks to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter: XxsneakydevxX, Shinimegami7, whitefire23, CloudedMirror89, Aindel S. Druida, Ultima Phoenix, xLion-Heartx, LiteraryMirage, 73n5Hl, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, FlurryDivider, ramen-is-my-goddess, Taryn Eithne, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, Bronze Eagle.

You all should know how much I love you, so I'll spare you all the fluffy praise! ^^ You dudes are awesome. :D

O

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Chapter 18

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They had estimated that they had a few minutes to escape before anyone realized that the prisoners weren't in their rightful place in the dungeon. Since Xigbar could have only transported them one at a time anyway, they decided that it would be safer for them all to be together in a group instead of split up like that. Not to mention that Zexion was still weak and paler than he should have been, not anywhere close to a good enough condition to be transported when the ride already make him sick. Zexion could barely stand on his feet as it was, so Riku trusted that opinion. The kitchens were far from the main gate, but Xigbar had sworn that he knew a fast way to get there.

Riku made sure to keep a tight hold on Sora's hand as the ran down the marble halls, their swords in their free hands. He was not going to risk Sora somehow getting tripped up or left behind, even if the prince had never shown the inclination to do so before.

Their footsteps clattered against the hard floor, the sound echoing against the smooth white walls. In the front of the group, Xigbar suddenly twisted to the side, pushing a panel of the wall open which Riku hadn't even seen. It looked like a small, cramped, and dark corridor, low enough so that Riku knew that even his head would almost be touching the ceiling. It did not look like a place he wanted to go into but Xigbar glanced back at them with a smirk on his face. "Come on, dudes. Shortcut to the front courtyard, it'll cut our time in fourths at least! My boys in the gatehouse will open it up so we can get out."

Leon was running just beside the older man by his shoulder, and paused when he got to the secret exit. The lion turned around to face the others, helping them into the corridor one by one as he spoke. "We'll collect ourselves once we are free from the palace. It's too dangerous to stay here with all the Dusks and spirits still loyal to Xemnas. Watch your step, Your Majesty."

The lion helped Aerith into the passage, his eyes resting just briefly on Cloud as the blond followed after his mother. They shared a look before the wolf slipped away after Aerith. As Axel prodded Roxas in after them, Riku glanced back at the empty hallway behind them. He was surprised that they hadn't been discovered yet, but then again, it had been a rather smooth escape. Xigbar had spirited them all away with the blink of an eye. Despite this, Riku still felt uneasy, but he didn't know why until he saw a shadow growing on the wall across from them. He bristled as a silvery dagger-shaped hand pushed out of the shadow; it was a Dusk. "Leon!"

Leon's eyes immediately flashed over to him then to the Dusk coming out of the wall. His brow furrowed, the scar on his face distorting as he growled out. "Lexaeus, get everyone into the passage!

In the back of the group, Lexaeus nodded, moving his large body to block the rest of them as they began to hurry up. Riku looked over Lexaus' arm to see Leon raising his sword defensively as the Dusk pulled all the way through the wall. The silvery creature almost looked surprised when it saw that it had an opponent but quickly raised his dagger-like hands. With lightening speed, it whipped around Leon to get him in the back. Leon managed to meet dagger with sword in just the last second.

Riku wanted to help when he saw another Dusk beginning to appear, but Sora was his top priority and he ushered the prince into the passage. They were quickly swallowed by the darkness inside. Sora still tugged on his hand, "Riku, what about Leon?!"

Riku turned his head to look at Lexaeus. The burly man grunted then turned back to the hall. Riku was too far into the passage to see what had happened but a moment later Leon was nearly thrown into the secret passageway, Lexaeus quickly following after him and slamming the marble panel closed behind him, throwing them all into pitch darkness.

Feeling Leon's quiet pants on the back of his neck, Riku tilted his head up. "You okay?"

"Fine. I had barely gotten started when Lexaeus crashed into those things like a moving mountain." Riku could just hear Lexaeus grunt at the name but he couldn't tell if it was from offense or amusement.

Riku cursed when he suddenly kicked the back of Sora's legs as he tried to walk forward, his hand reaching out to press against the other's warm back. "I can't see a damn thing."

"Oh!" The passageway was suddenly lit with a white glow, the halo of light growing around Sora flickering a little as he twisted around. "Sorry! I wasn't thinking."

A second later, another light flared up ahead of them, showing that the tunnel continued for a lot longer than what Riku would have liked. It was Roxas. Probably anyway, Riku couldn't see the younger prince over the silhouettes of Axel, Zexion, Demyx, and Sora. "Is everyone okay back there?"

That was Axel's voice. Frowning irritably, Riku spoke up. "We're just fine. Why couldn't you have made any light earlier? Don't you have fire powers?"

"Are you kidding? I don't want to eat up all the oxygen in this place. It's like a tomb or something! Xigbar you bastard, how much farther is it?"

"Not too much farther. Keep your cool, dude."

"Keep my cool? Who built this damn tunnel anyway?! It wasn't here when I worked in this place!"

Riku chuckled to himself despite their claustrophobic circumstances. Noticing that Sora's light continued to flicker though, Riku put his hand on Sora's shoulder. "You okay?" He saw Sora's head bob in a shaky nod. Riku's expression softened as his eyebrow lifted. He squeezed Sora's shoulder, leaning down to kiss Sora's spiky brown hair as they walked. "Don't worry. We won't be here for long. You and your brother just need to keep lighting our way. I wouldn't want to trip over you again."

"Yeah." Sora sounded happier anyway. Riku couldn't see his face but he assumed he was blushing; the halo around him was now glowing steadily.

The princes' light was almost a curse as much as it was a blessing. It was helpful because everyone could see where they were going, but at the same time, the scene wasn't all that attractive. The walls were rough, the passageway appearing as if it had been sloppily chipped out. From the best Riku could estimate, they had been traveling alongside the main hallway for a while but then the passageway had turned to the side and now Riku was completely disoriented. All he knew was that it was small, cramped, and the air smelled stale. He sympathized with Axel and Demyx; both spirits were taller than him and had been reduced to hunching over in a very uncomfortable way. He didn't even want to know how cramped Lexaeus was behind them.

After a few tense moments of walking through the confined space, the minutes feeling like hours, light from the front flooded the tunnel. Xigbar must have reached the exit. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Riku stepped out onto a patch of grass. They were in what he assumed was the main courtyard. It was strange to think he had never seen the front gates up close until now, that he had always used a more stealthy way of getting inside the palace grounds. The courtyard was large, lined on two sides by the palace structure. Tall, thick walls enclosed the other side, a large and heavy-looking iron gate puncturing them in their center and dug firmly into the ground. The courtyard itself was mainly a hard tiled surface, probably allowing for visiting carriages. It was bordered by small rolling hills of grass with flower gardens decoratively scattered about. The strangest sight though, was the light. It was as bright as day in the courtyard, but the sky overhead was dark, and the brightness cut off exactly along the wall's boundary.

Outside the crisscrossed iron bars of the gate, it was night.

Riku was so distracted by the strange illusion that he didn't even notice Axel coming to stand beside him until the redhead spoke up. "You see now why we didn't just want to come in through the main gate? There are no trees in this area on purpose. It's designed flat, with no nooks or crannies to hide in, just in case some intruders somehow manage to get passed the gate. The guards up on the walls would be able to shoot them down before they knew what hit them."

Riku's eyes flew up to the walls. There were indeed guards patrolling the top of the wall. Xigbar was already up there with them, apparently having transported himself up there as soon as he cracked open the wall. After Axel's words though, Riku took another look at the courtyard they were in; this time with their safety in mind. It was true, there was no place to hide, no place to take cover. It was basically an arena, the least ideal place possible to be caught trying to make an escape. Great, now he was going to be paranoid until they got outside the walls.

Axel chuckled, standing by his shoulder. "Yeah, now you know how I feel. Being a Guardian really isn't easy on a guy's nerves."

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"You're entire posture changed when you went on the defense. Not too hard to see that. Pretty obvious actually."

Frowning, Riku tried to get his body to relax some. He straightened up and composed himself before looking around for Sora. He wasn't going to let Axel tease him about being skittish, and he wasn't going to lose his cool whenever he felt a little uneasy.

As they waited for Xigbar to get clearance for the gate to open, apparently it was hard to convince people to open a gate which had been closed for a few hundred years even if you were their captain, Demyx had coaxed Zexion to sit down on the ground. Lexaeus was standing next to them almost meditatively, his feet planted firmly on the ground as he balanced his massive tomahawk easily in one hand.

Aerith was standing with Namine, Roxas, and Sora. They were quietly talking to one another, cheering each other up perhaps. Leon and Cloud were restlessly next to them, probably feeling more like caged animals than Riku.

With a frown, Riku glanced over at Axel. "So, what's the plan after we escape?"

Axel snorted weakly. "Regroup, recover, and pray to whatever god you want that Saix isn't going to bring your brothers into this mess. As it is, our two sides are nearly evenly matched, we might even have the advantage. If your brother's come though, we're in deep shit. If your daddy dearest comes, we might as well just kill ourselves to save them the trouble."

"Father is not coming." Riku stated firmly. His frown deepened as he brushed a strand of his silver hair which had blown into his face from a slight wind. "As for my brothers, we can take care of them."

"But are you willing to kill them?"

Riku sharply met Axel's green gaze. "What are you talking about?"

"Could you kill them? I'm honestly asking you." Axel stepped closer to him, his face more serious than Riku had ever seen it. "When we go to battle next, we're going to be fighting to the death. The rest of us need to know if you can seriously fight against your brothers or not. If you don't think you can hurt them, or kill them even, we're going to have to plan around that. I know it's a hard question; damn, I wouldn't have been able to hurt Reno, but we're going to need to know."

Riku stared at Axel for a moment then looked down at his feet. He had been feeling so grown-up and independent but for some reason that question had made him feel like a kid again. Probably because it dealt with his older brothers. But what a question…could he really…? After a few more moments of thought Riku tisked and let out a low sigh. "I don't think I could…"

He looked up at Axel again, defensive, annoyed that the redhead might think him weak. But Axel met his gaze with one of surprising understanding.

Embarrassed by the bonding moment with someone who used to be his best friend, Riku looked away, crossing his arms as more wind cut across his face. He shook his bangs from his face again. Axel noticed what he was doing and frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing. It's just windy."

Axel's eyes narrowed. "Windy? No its-" His eyes suddenly widened and his head whipped around to the palace buildings as he called out. "We've got company!"

Before Riku could ask what he was talking about he felt the wind surge around him, so strong that it literally knocked him off his feet. He hit the grass with a thud, gritting his teeth as he felt it ripping over his head like a wind tunnel. The grass was rippling around him but he managed to lift his see a cloaked figure dropping down from a perch on top of the nearest palace structure.

"Riku, move!"

Without thought, Riku obeyed Axel's order, throwing himself to the side not a second before two long grey-blue lances struck the ground he had just been occupying. Heart pounding, Riku scrambled to his feet as the figure landed on the ground right in front of him. A glint of metal was all the warning he got before four more lances flew by his head, one so close that he could feel the wind against his cheek.

Hearing shouts of surprise behind him, Riku turned to see two lances in the ground right where Leon and Axel had been standing. Cloud had one in his hand, apparently having caught it, certainly the only one among them quick enough to do so. The fourth was stuck in the wall right between Roxas and Sora, the end of the lance still trembling from the hard impact. Snarling, Leon ripped the lance nearest to him out of the ground. "Axel, drive Xaldin back!" Axel grimaced but threw his arms out, the chakrams falling into his palms from thin air. The chakrams lit on fire and with a grunt, he threw one straight for Xaldin's neck. Xaldin's hood flew back as he jumped back for safety, revealing his face to Riku for the first time. As he fell back, Leon turned. "Lexaus! Some protection!"

"Right." Lexaeus hefted his giant tomahawk then brought it down hard into the ground. The ground split open from the blow, grass ripping apart, rolling in a wave like an earthquake, curling literally like the crest of the wave against the palace wall to create a sort of earthen bunker against it.

Aerith immediately led Zexion under the barrier. From up on the walls, Xigbar must have noticed the action because a second later he was down on the field, facing down Xaldin. "Man, what are you doing here? You're totally outnumbered, especially since my men are coming down. Don't be stupid, dude, back off before you get hurt."

"Who says he's alone?"

The palace doors opened behind a smirking Xaldin's shoulder. Riku quickly called Way to the Dawn into his grip as Larxene sauntered out, a number of guards behind her. "Really, Xiggy, you're in on this too?" Her voice was sickly sweet as always, playing the innocent girl despite the malicious gleam in her eyes. "I never would have guessed. But don't get cocky. Those Dusks you ran into found the Superior and we've all been called out to take you down. It'd be such a waste, but if I have to shed some blood to obey his orders, I won't complain!"

She tore forward with a giggle, knifes in her hands and already sparking with electricity.

While Leon and Cloud moved forward to fight, Riku fell back to where the princes and Namine were standing. The princes already had their Keyblades drawn; somehow Roxas had two Keyblades, one in each hand, looking fierce despite his young age. Skipping over both of the boys' faces, Riku stopped on Namine's, his voice clipped as he spoke up. "Namine, I want you with Aerith and Zexion where it's safe."

"I can take care of myself, Riku, don't worry."

Frowning, Riku grabbed her hand. "This isn't your kind of fight, you don't have a weapon." His frown softened a little, turning into a smirk, "Besides, you're my little sister, right? So it's my job to make sure you stay safe."

"Riku…" Namine frowned then after a moment nodded slightly, a soft blush across her cheeks. "I suppose, just this once, I'll do as you say. But you really shouldn't be allowed to use the family card anymore…"

As she left for the safety of the earth barricade, Sora tapped Riku on the shoulder with his Keyblade. It was just a tap, but Riku still felt the tingle of the light magic through his skin. "I'm surprised you didn't tell me to go along with her, Riku." Riku turned around to him as Sora continued, "Are you going to let me fight?"

"Why wouldn't I? You know how to use your Keyblade better than I know how to fight."

Sora blushed, about to say something more when Axel jumped back to where they were standing, his green eyes hard as his chest heaved. He grabbed onto Roxas's shoulder, twisting the smaller prince toward him. "Roxas, go with your mom."

Roxas scowled and with a glace over toward Sora and Riku then shook his head, turning defiant bright blue eyes to his Guardian. "I'm not going. If Sora is fighting then so am I."

"He's older than you. Roxas, let me do my damn job and go somewhere safe-"

Axel was cut off as a door on the wall burst open and a group of guards streamed out, apparently loyal to Xigbar by the way they hurried to fall into rank behind their captain, facing off those behind Larxene. Roxas took the opportunity of the rising tension, "We don't have time to argue. As Prince, I order that you let me fight, unless of course you don't think you have what it takes to protect me."

Axel growled low in his throat, sounding almost like Leon, then turned back to the intensifying fight. "Fine, whatever. Just stay behind me."

Immediately after Axel had made his decision, Leon bellowed back to them. "Riku, Axel, get to the front!"

Riku and Axel looked at each other. Then Axel smirked and hoisted one of his chakrams over his shoulder. "Well, Riku, let's see what you're made of."

Snorting, Riku lifted Way to the Dawn. He walked passed Axel then broke into a run to the others in the middle of battle. Two seconds later, Axel was running alongside him, the two of them breaking through the ranks of Xigbar's guards to see that two more cloaked figures had indeed come into the courtyard. One was a spirit with vivid pink hair, the other Riku recognized. It was Vexen. Next to him, Axel smirked dangerously. "Vexen's mine."

Riku didn't argue, instead he watched as Axel sprang forward toward Vexen, who had already spotted the redhead and lifted the large blue shield he was carrying, blocking the first chakram that Axel threw at him. After a second to make sure that Axel wasn't going to kill himself first thing, Riku turned to see what he could help with. In the back of his mind, he knew that Sora and Roxas were coming up behind him but keeping their distance at the moment. The man with the pink hair, Riku thought he had heard the name "Marluxia" shouted out at some point, was going after Demyx with what looked to be a deadly scythe. Demyx was holding his own, jumping back a few steps to dodge all of Marluxia's strikes. He had filled a canteen with water in the kitchen and was in the process of summoning two clones to his side.

Cloud and Leon were trying to pin down Larxene, their claws and swords the only things which could counter the female spirits fierce daggers. Lexeus had pitted himself against Xaldin; their elements of earth and air were incompatible, both useless against one another, so they had resorted to fighting with weapons only. Neither of them seemed concerned though, and Lexaeus was beating back Xaldin's lances with a speed not expected of such a giant man.

That left Riku to fight with Xigbar and his guards against those soldiers still loyal to Xemnas. He got in line next to Xigbar, on the spirit's blindside. Xigbar still smirked, raising his gun arrows. "Hey, little dude. Let's show this crowd who they're really dealing with."

Riku didn't even have time to respond before Xigbar disappeared, appearing a heartbeat later in midair of all places, the eye-patched spirit shooting down into the crowd of guards with merciless accuracy. On the ground, Riku found himself surrounded by a crowd of guards, their ranks crashing into Xemnas's guards being rained down upon from above.

There was barely enough room to raise his sword with everyone around him, but Riku managed and soon was cutting down any of those who attacked him. It was impossible to tell by uniform who was faithful to Xemnas and who was on his side; their uniforms were all the same, that of the palace guard. The best Riku could do was fight whoever came after him with murder in their eyes. It was frightening, certainly, and Riku found himself using Dark Shield as often as he could, encasing himself in the opaque bubble against the wild slashing of spears and swords around him.

Soon enough, he forced his way to the edge of the fight. The guards were having an easier fight against each other; they knew each other by face, they knew who was their friend or enemy. Though Riku was well able to hold his own against their weapons, not knowing who to attack was wearing him out. Plus, something inside his head was telling him to get out, and it wasn't just his mental fatigue.

As he broke through the last group of guards, his ears caught the sound of Sora crying out. He whipped his head around, eyes widening when he saw Saix standing over Sora, the Crown Prince's Keyblade having been thrown from his grip. Saix had a giant sword in his hand, the point radiating out like a blue sky. And the sword was lifted for a finishing blow.

Seeing red, Riku sprinted forward. He felt his black magic stirring in front of him, rushing so fierce through his body that he could feel Xehanort's Heartless tainting the back corners of his mind again. Allowing the black magic to pool into his hands, Riku without thinking threw the raw magic toward Saix. It shot out in the form of large orbs of dark energy. They crashed into Saix's side, sending the wolf spirit flying seconds before Riku managed to get over to them himself.

Once he reached them, he planted himself firmly between Sora and the wolf as both scrambled for their weapons and to their feet. As Saix picked himself up though, realization turned Riku's blood cold. Saix was back. That meant that he had returned from the portal which meant-

"Good, we're not too late for the party."

His brothers were here.

Riku turned just in time to see Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo entering into the courtyard from the palace, looking as if they owned the place in their signature black outfits. The moment of shock and horror was cut short though when he saw Loz raise his hand to reveal a strange device strapped onto his arm. The next second, Loz ran forward in a blur, crashing through the guards still standing.

At the same time, Yazoo lifted what looked to be a gun with two swords attached to its barrel. He fired without care into the crowd. Kadaj was wielding a katana, nearly the same sort which their father used, and had a maniacal smile on his lips as he began to cut through whoever came within his reach.

It was like the apocalypse had fallen on the small battle, turning it more into a slaughter than anything else. Cloud had broken away from his and Leon's struggle with Larxene, the wolf's blue-eyes turning to Kadaj and his rampage. Xigbar had turned his shots from the guards to Loz, trying to take out the silver-haired juggernaut with well-aimed shots. The first few missed due to Loz's incredible speed and Xigbar's face had twisted into an expression of irritation.

But there was no one left to focus on Yazoo, who was doing a large amount of damage with his hand gun, shooting spirits down without ever having to get into the middle of the danger. Riku grit his teeth then turned back to Saix, who had just about regained his bearings in the few seconds it took Riku to observe everything else. Before Riku had to make a decision about what he was going to do though, Roxas suddenly appeared behind Saix, the young teen distracting the wolf with a shout. "Over here!"

As his brother struck out at the enraged wolf, Sora ran forward to help him, calling out over his shoulder. "We can handle him, Riku. Do what you need to!"

Riku's immediate response was to protest. But someone with powerful magic needed to go against Yazoo. The guards were skilled, but they couldn't stand up to his overwhelming power. And though Saix was strong, so were Roxas and Sora. Riku knew that, and he knew the princes would take care of each other. Instincts were telling him not to leave, and he knew Axel would try and kill him for it, but Riku turned and ran for Yazoo.

Yazoo saw him coming. He turned his gun onto his little brother. Riku didn't know why he was so surprised when Yazoo fired, but his heart broke a little when he quickly brought up a dark shield. For some reason, he thought that out of all of his brothers, Yazoo would have been the kindest to him. Maybe Yazoo considered a bullet to the head to be the kindest way to die.

Whatever the case, the shield shattered against the bullet as Riku had expected. Running through the dissolving pieces, he brought his sword forward. He didn't have what it took to kill any one of his brothers, but he wouldn't regret simply hurting them for a single moment.

Yazoo blocked Way to the Dawn with the knives on his gun, capturing Riku's sword between his two blades. The beautiful silver-haired man twisted Riku forward, throwing the younger momentarily off-balance.

"So good to see you, Ri-ku." His voice was as cool and smooth as ever.

Riku scowled, wrenching his Keyblade away. "Why did you come here, Yazoo? What are you trying to prove?"

"Prove? I'm trying to prove nothing, dear brother. We're simply regaining what was rightfully ours, a life away from those putrid, horrible humans. We couldn't say no to power and respect. Unlike Father, we have not gone soft, we haven't bothered forming a life there. There was nothing tying us down."

Riku grit his teeth as Yazoo twisted Way to the Dawn to the ground, anger turning to surprise as Yazoo took the opportunity to kick out at him with a grace of any martial art. Riku took the hit, buckling under the blow to his side. There was going to be a massive bruise there in the morning for sure. Now on his knees, Riku found that the new angle allowed him to tear his sword out from between Yazoo's blades. He swung out a Yazoo's legs, forcing his older brother back a step as Riku stumbled back to his feet.

They were coming at each other again for another attack when suddenly, the ground underneath them rolled like a bucking horse. Both of them paused as a crashing roar echoed through the courtyard. A part of the palace wall had been completely demolished, leaving a gaping hole and stones still falling from the still-crumbling sides. It was only a few feet from where the earthen bunker had been set up. Tracing the wreckage and broken ground back to its source, Riku saw Lexaeus with his tomahawk buried deep into the ground, sweat rolling down the giant man's forehead. It was only then that Riku noticed the person struggling to rise from the middle of the wreckage. Xaldin must have touched ground and Lexeaus had taken his chance.

Pulled back by necessity into his duel with Yazoo, Riku could only spare a few quick glances as he watched Demyx sprint through the opening, green vines bursting out from the ground at his heels, stretching out to capture him as Marluxia followed with his scythe.

Riku couldn't blame Demyx for trying to run as he focused again on blocking Yazoo's lunging attacks. He could feel fatigue beginning to set in as he called up another dark shield just in time to take another of Yazoo's bullets. He had been too slow that time. Any time he held too still gave Yazoo another chance to aim the gun component of his weapon.

When Yazoo's eyes widened at the sight of something over his shoulder though, Riku couldn't help but take a second to look for himself, seeing his brother in such shock. A giant wave was crashing down over the palace walls, chasing Marluxia back into the courtyard. That's right, there was a stream that ran into the palace. Demyx must have been running for it. His power as a god rather than just an average spirit revealed itself now that he had so much water under his command. His power really was like a force of nature as the wave crashed down into the courtyard.

The water rushed over everything, avoiding only the small patch of grass around the bunker where the Queen, Namine, and Zexion were. Riku let out a shout as the water hit him, swelling underneath him and sweeping him off of his feet. Yazoo was also caught up in the swell and the two of them along with the rest of the fighters found themselves coming to crash against the sides of the palace buildings. For a few seconds, Riku found himself tossed under the wave, disoriented as he tumbled over himself, thrown around by the water. What happened next amazed him. He felt a hand grab onto his arm and when he broke surface again, he found Yazoo grabbing onto him, his older brother's silver-hair plastered to his face, neck, and clothes.

They hit the wall, knocking the breath out of both of them before Riku could say anything. Almost as soon as it had come, the wave retracted with all of its water, moving like something alive rather than a body of liquid. Coughing, Riku's first instinct was to look around for Sora. He found him clinging to Roxas in the middle of the field. Both of them were soaked but they looked alright, if not a little shaken. Axel, Leon, and Cloud were shaking themselves off; their expressions ranging from horrified to disgruntled.

"Don't take your eyes off your opponent, Riku!"

Riku turned just in time to block Yazoo's attack. He hadn't expected his brother to pick up the fight so soon again, but he returned lunge for lunge, parrying every attack he could. It was satisfying to see that he actually was holding his own. Perhaps he did have the advantage, Way to the Dawn was longer and made a quicker arc, but the point was that he was not significantly worse at fighting than his brother. He could anticipate the moves Yazoo was going to make, though he had less than a second to counter, and though he hadn't landed any strikes, neither had Yazoo.

He didn't even know who out of his friends were still standing. His focus was on Yazoo alone. Every few seconds, he would pause to send out a wave of energy to feel for Sora. Nothing was screaming at him to return to Sora's side just yet, so the best he could assume was that Sora was holding his own. The few glances that he could spare from his fight, he anxiously looked for the prince. He would find him in close combat alongside Roxas against Saix.

He had just turned back to Yazoo to find that his brother was taking another swing at him. Riku was just bringing his sword up for defense when suddenly, the entire world seemed to freeze. Literally. Riku found that his arms and legs had locked in place, and by the infuriated expression on Yazoo's face, so had his brother's.

Larxene's infuriated shriek cut through the now eerily still courtyard and Riku twisted his head around to see Xigbar frozen in mid-air, "What the heck's going on? Not cool, dude!"

He was cut off by the applause of a single person. Turning to the sound, Riku's eyes widened. Luxord was sitting jauntily on the palace wall, crossed legs draped over the collapsed portion of the barricade. His clapping trailed off once he had everyone's attention. "Bravo, a wonderful show indeed. Unfortunately it seems as if you forgot to seek me out before beginning such a gory maelstrom. Surely the Lord Superior is not so improper as to have forgotten proper procedure."

Vexen's cold voice cut into Luxord's monologue. "This has nothing to do with you, gambler. The Superior did not call for you because he did not want you present, regardless of any tradition which the previous rulers have kept. You and your wild magic are nothing but a nuisance."

Though Riku was naïve as to the traditional role of the god of fate, even he could guess that this wasn't the most diplomatic thing to say. Luxord's expression barely changed, though he did reach into his cloak pocket for something. "And that is precisely the level of disrespect which I have come to abhor. Though I have been bred to be impartial, I can say that I wouldn't complain if you get the worse lot in this game." He pulled his hand out to reveal his deck of cards. He shuffled them once before they shot into the air, the cards fanning out to form a ring around his head. "You may have disregarded me earlier, but let us now restart this battle with a spin of the wheel of fate as is proper."

The cards began to turn around Luxord's head, literally like a wheel, or some sick game of Russian roulette.

Luxord smiled down at the group, the expression somewhat sinister concerning the circumstances. "Someone must call for the wheel to stop so I can read the cards which fall in front of me, or else we'll never get anywhere, will we?"

There was a moment of tense silence before Sora's light voice called out a strong and confident, "Stop!"

The wheel of cards slowed then after a few heart-pounding seconds stopped turning. The five cards which were in front of Luxord's face dropped into his lap. "Excellent, Your Highness. Let's take a look at what we've got then."

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	19. Chapter 19

Woot! Euge! Over 300 reviews! Totally proud of you guys. You warm my heart, and in return, I offer a reward. (See end of chapter for details. ^^) I warn you now, the battle sequence is continuing, amice meum. Stay with me though, dudes, for I promise it will be anything but boring. ^^ At least, I'll keep it as exciting as my skills allow.

Thanks much to: DieChan, HeartAngel, Shinimegami7, CloudedMirror, 73n5Hl, Aindel S. Druida, Taryn Eithne, FlurryDivider, LiteraryMirage, andhearts, ramen-is-my-goddess, Mirror and Darkling, Tangerine342, Ultima Phoenix, xLion-Heartx, Dust to Dusk, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, Nezrin, muumuu122, Wind Kaizer, infinityinmirrors. Thanks you guys. Keep up the most excellent reviewing! :D

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Chapter 19

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Luxord picked up the five cards which had fallen with a light flick of the wrist. His sharp eyes scanned them, expression poker-faced as he looked back down at the crowded courtyard. The gambler's eyes had met his just momentarily, but Riku could have sworn that he had seen something worrying in the glance. Riku felt a knot in the pit of his stomach as Luxord began to speak again. "The Fates never cease to surprise. Not even I can predict them, or control them, but as is most common, the good has been mixed with some more unfortunate events." With one twitch of his fingers, he fanned the cards out. "But with this grouping you've paid your dues to Chance. Let's distribute the cards and continue on with this scuffle, shall we?"

He drew his arm back then threw the cards out into the courtyard. They traveled with the speed and deadly accuracy of Larxene's daggers. Riku could only watch as three struck into the melee of guards, one flew out of his line of sight to where Axel and Cloud were fighting, and one flew straight toward him and Yazoo.

The cards exploded into flashes of light right above all of their heads. Riku, at least, was blinded for a second. In that time he felt time begin to move again. But something was wrong; he suddenly realized his stance was off, in a way he hadn't realized a second ago. His feet were placed incorrectly for a proper defense and Yazoo was bearing down on him with his gun. Now he knew why he had felt so uneasy when Luxord had looked at him. He had gotten a bad card.

The next thing Riku felt was the cold steel of Yazoo's double knifes pierce his skin below his ribcage as Yazoo carried through his swing. The pain was such that Riku's entire body felt numb, like it was completely burning with white hot fire. He stumbled back a step, trying to keep on his feet as Yazoo's eyes widened. The blades withdrew from his body, doing more damage as they tore out. Riku could feel the hot blood beginning to soak his clothes.

One of them gasped as the world was suddenly thrown back to its normal speed. Riku felt himself drop to the ground. He couldn't keep himself up anymore. It felt as if all of his strength had left him, replaced instead with unbearable pain. Yazoo only stared down at him, the knifes on the end of his gun still dripping with Riku's blood. His aquamarine eyes, nearly identical to Riku's, were frozen in a state of shock. There was a hint of panic too, darting across his features. Could it have been that Yazoo had never expected to actually land the hit? Riku bit his lip, gasping out a breath of air. "Y-Yazoo…"

Yazoo started as if he had been shocked but before he could pull himself together for a reaction-

"Get away from him!"

A white and silver blur crashed into him with the angry shout. Yazoo flew backward, his gun flying from his hand as the figure that blasted him away took his place. Riku's vision was beginning to blur but his eyes still widened to see that the figure was actually Sora. But, his clothing had changed and he was now colored in white, silver, and black. His whole body was glowing and his feet were hovering a few good inches off of the ground, the prince's face twisted into and expression of panicked anger as two Keyblades floated around him. He was like a vengeful angel.

Riku tried to sit up but the movement shot agonizing pain up from his wound. He grit his teeth, tilting his head back as he focused on breathing through the pain. The slight movement drew Sora's attention to him. The prince twisted around in the air, his blue eyes glowing with a fierce inner fire. All the anger on his face vanished instantly though when his eyes rested on Riku, his intimidating atmosphere diminishing as he hovered lower, glowing hand reaching out to touch the bleeding wound on Riku's torso.

The touch sent a sizzling shock through Riku's body and his whole frame jerked from the pain. "Shit, Sora!"

"I'm sorry, sorry!" Sora's hand retracted then hesitantly lowered again. Tears were collecting in the prince's eyes as he helplessly pulled his hands back when Riku let out another hiss.

"S-Sora, too much, too much light magic…" Glowing as he was now, Sora was burning him whenever he came too close.

"I know. I just, when I felt you get hurt, I just couldn't control myself. I'm sorry! But bear with the light for a few more seconds, I have to get you to my mother!"

Riku gasped as Sora picked him up. Shit, it felt as if he was resting on hot irons. He definitely was not meant to be with compatible with such strong concentrations of light magic. Sora's normal light was soft and warm but this was just torture and combined with the wound Yazoo had inflicted was quickly sending his body into shock.

Sora seemed to sense the urgency though. Before Riku understood what was happening, they were literally gliding across the air, hurtling toward the earthen bunker where Aerith had hid before the battle even started. They were traveling so fast that Riku couldn't keep track of the fights going on around them. He heard shouts and cries of other people, saw the glinting of slashing weapons, felt the air charged with magic, but he was too dizzy to focus one any more than that.

Sora glided into the shade of the bunker Lexeaus had made and immediately, Riku was shocked by how cool and quiet the space was. He hadn't realized how noisy it had been out fighting; he had always been wrapped up in his own fight with Yazoo to notice.

…What had even happened to Yazoo?

"…Riku. Riku, focus on me, Riku."

Riku blinked his eyes open, tilting his head to the side to see that he was in Aerith's arms now. She was looking down at him with concerned green eyes. Wait. Where had Sora gone? Riku's eyes snapped open as panic ripped through him. Where was Sora?! "_Sora!_"

He sent out a ripple of his magic, searching desperately for Sora but his energy wasn't stretching far enough. He didn't have enough strength left. But he needed to find Sora!

"Riku, its okay, calm down, Sora is alright for the moment. Namine, dear, do you think you can help calm him down? He's only aggravating his wound this way."

Riku paused momentarily as two small hands captured his face. He blinked to see Namine looking down at him, her soft blue eyes depthless as she frowned gently. "Calm down, Riku. You need to stay still or else you'll only hurt yourself more."

Riku took a deep breath, feeling dizzy and lightheaded as he stared up at her. "Where did Sora go? He, he brought me here, what's he doing now. Is he fighting? Is he out fighting? I need to go to him if he's still fighting." His voice was starting to slur; he didn't even know what he was saying, but he knew he had to see Sora again. How could he stay calm knowing that Sora was in the battle and he, as Guardian, was laid up because of a small stab wound?

"Riku, it's alright, I'm here."

Riku turned his head, letting out a breath of relief when he saw Sora smiling down at him, the prince kneeling next to Namine. Riku returned the smile with a smirk of his own, reaching out for the prince's hand. Sora took it with a somewhat hesitant expression. His hand was cold as Sora looked up at Aerith. "Is this better? Can you treat him now?"

"I should be able to, just keep holding his hand. It seems to calm him." Riku tilted his head back to Aerith when she pushed his vest up, watching blurrily as she looked down at his wound. He was barely staying conscious at this point. Noticing his lack of focus, Aerith smiled down at him though her eyes were troubled. "It's okay if you want to rest for now. In fact I think it would be best. I have to see how deep the wound is before I know what spells I should use to heal it. Curaga may not be enough if there is a large amount of internal damage."

Barely able to keep his eyes open Riku nodded, pursing his lips as he tried to gather the energy to speak again. "Sora's not going…going to….fight…again…"

"He'll stay right here beside you." As Riku felt darkness slip over his senses, he heard Aerith speak up again, her voice much quieter. "I know this is straining for you in your condition, but thank you, Zexion. Just keep holding his hand."

When Riku opened his eyes again, he was able to collect his thoughts enough to take a first look at where he was. It was indeed a small space, dark and shaded. The ceiling was dirt, and it vaulted over one of the long sides to meet with the palace wall which made up the other wall. The floor was dirt as well. Interestingly enough though, he was lying on what appeared to be a bed of small flowers. Grunting, he tried to push himself up, hissing when his wound protested against the movement. A second later, a hand pushed him back down and he rolled his head over to see Aerith smiling. "It's good to see you awake again. That's certainly progress!"

Riku ran a hand over his forehead. "Hn…am I good enough to go out into the battle again? How long was I out for?"

"Only a few minutes. But no, you're not healthy enough to fight. That cut did quite a bit of damage. I have done what I can, but whatever blade was used must have been tainted with contaminated dark magic. It's not allowing Curaga to heal the wound completely."

Riku frowned. His thoughts were beginning to clear. He looked over Aerith's shoulders to see Namine at the mouth of the bunker, Zexion no where in sight. "Do you know what's happening out there?"

Aerith shook her head. "No. Zexion and Namine are keeping an eye on things, but my attention has been on your health. You and Sora are only lucky he managed to get you here in time. Another minute and you very well could have died."

Both of their heads twisted to the shelter's entrance when Namine let out a sudden shriek. A second later Zexion suddenly appeared in the mouth of the cave, having dropped his illusion of invisibility as he grabbed Namine's arm and pulled her further inside the cave. His voice was sharp and clipped. "Everyone get back. We've got company."

Riku pushed himself onto his elbows as a rush of fire suddenly blasted across the mouth of the cave. Riku could feel the heat from the very back of the bunker so he could only imagine how Namine and Zexion felt as they dove for cover. Just as they hit the earthen floor, two figures threw themselves in past the fire. It was Axel and Vexen, and Axel looked like he had the upper hand. The red-head had a burning chakram in one hand and Vexen's collar in the other, his grip so hot that the scent of burning fabric filled the space. The chakram quickly went to the ice spirit's throat as the fire behind them sputtered and went out.

Panting, Axel pushed Vexen to the ground, his voice little more than a tired rumble. "Do you yield?!"

Vexen grimaced, though his sweaty face paled when the fire around Axel's chakram flared. "Yes, alright. Get off of me, you imbecile!"

Axel huffed but sat up, hand still fisting Vexen's collar as he threw the other spirit against the wall. Waiting until Axel had a firm hold on Vexen, Riku asked, "Axel, what's going on out there?"

Axel glanced over to him, his acid green eyes widening slightly. "So this is where you went. I was wondering," he cut himself off suddenly and changed topics. "Things are going as well as they can after Luxord did his damage. A good number of Xigbar's guards went down but Xemnas lost more. Everyone seems to be holding their own but your brothers are mowing down everyone they're coming across…" He trailed off again, looking distracted as he glanced back to the mouth of the bunker.

Riku understood. He was worried about Roxas. "How's Sora?"

"For now? Fighting strong in his Final form."

"What do you mean for now?"

Axel gave him a sideways look. "As a prince he can harness that much power at once, but that also means he's burning through his energy much faster than usual. If he fights much longer in that form, he's gonna burn out and then he'd be pretty much helpless."

Riku's heart flew to his throat. He couldn't let that happen. He tried to stand up but a shock of pain immediately shot up his body. Hissing, he grabbed at the wound as Aerith hurried to his side to help support him. Damn. He wasn't going to allow himself to be too weak to help Sora. His hiss of pain drew Vexen's attention. The ice spirit sniffed. "How pathetic. You're already wounded?"

Before Riku could find his voice for a comeback, Axel had his chakram pointed back at the other's throat again. "I could set you on fire before you knew what hit you, so I wouldn't be calling anyone in here pathetic. You're a doctor, right? Why don't you help Jenovan out?"

"And risk having the Superior hear of such a thing?" Apparently Vexen was more afraid of his absent Superior than Axel's anger. Xemnas really did control his underlings with an iron fist it seemed. "You're insane. Besides, he looks as if he'll recover within a few weeks."

Scowling, Riku pushed himself away from Aerith. He winced as the movement only aggravated his wound. "I don't have a few weeks."

"Well you can't leave this area until you better." Aerith's voice was firm and unfortunately unshakable. Plus, Riku realized that if she were to allow him to take a few steps, he probably couldn't manage to take more than one step before he collapsed. But he had to get back into that fight.

Perhaps sensing his internal turmoil, Axel frowned. "If you guys can take control of Vexen, I can go out and make sure Roxas and Sora stay safe."

"I suppose we can always knock him unconscious…" Zexoin murmured. "Right, Namine?"

She nodded. "It would be simple." By her tone of voice Riku had no doubt that she did indeed have the ability to carry out the threat.

Vexen paled but Axel gave them a feral smile. "Good. I'll leave him to you then. Riku, don't worry, I'll do my best to look after everyone." Sure, he would do his best, but Riku couldn't help but think that no mater how hard Axel tried, he would unconsciously pay more attention to Roxas. It was only natural, Axel was Roxas' Guardian. But Riku had to trust him. He didn't have any other choice. At least it would be some sort of assurance that someone would be looking out for the Crown Prince.

Axel he nearly ran into Demyx as he was leaving, who just then was coming in with Marluxia in tow. Demyx looked as if he just barely won. His legs and clothes were scattered with blood-stained scratches from thorny vines and he was panting hard as he pushed Marluxia into the bunker. Marluxia for his part, was completely drenched, his black cloak torn in several places. Neither looked particularly pleased but there was also a strange lack of force as the apparently captured Marluxia sauntered in on his own accord, not sparing Axel a second glance as the red-head ran back out to the fight.

Vexen, in far worse condition than Marluxia with his cloak charred along the hems, gaped at his ally then scowled rebukingly. "Marluxia!"

"Please, Vexen." Marluxia waved his hand dismissively. "I didn't even care about fighting in the first place." Marluxia huffed and raised his hand so quickly that Riku started forward, thinking he was going to attack. But Marluxia's hands only flew up to comb through his hair. Demyx only sighed with exhaustion standing beside the pink-haired spirit. "Honestly, Xemnas has gone too far if he thinks that we will fight at his beck and call when he doesn't even bother to show up." His frown deepened and he glared over at Demyx. "And you didn't have to soak me so completely. I have pride in my appearance but here I am wet and you tore my cloak with your damned water." The flower spirit took a look around his surroundings for the first time. "Such a rag-tag group. I can't actually believe you got captured Vexen. And you claim to be so capable."

Vexen bristled. "At least I tried to fight instead of simply surrendering when my hair got slightly ruffled."

Marluxia shrugged. Riku was surprised how much tension seemed to be between the two spirits, as well as how informal they were with each other. Not only did they not get along with each other, but things were a lot less structured between the ranks; if a gardener and doctor could talk to each other that way. Riku paused as he was suddenly conscious of Marluxia's sharp blue gaze locked onto him. Wringing out his hair, Marluxia tossed his dripping locks over his shoulder then raised an eyebrow. "How fast the mighty hero falls."

Riku scowled and readjusted his grip on his wound. Putting pressure on it really wasn't helping, but it made him feel a little better. Demyx's brows had drawn together, the water god's attention turning to Riku as well. The blonde's shoulders dropped as he hurried forward. "Ah, Riku, what happened?! Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine." Riku growled, his cheeks turning red. The fact that he was hurt to the point where he could barely move was nothing but an embarrassment now. "You're a little scratched up yourself."

Demyx frowned then rubbed at a scratch on his arm that was still bleeding a little. Behind him, Marluxia smirked. "Even I'm surprised how well I went up against a water god. Perhaps I should be named a god myself. There are few flower spirits still around who are at my caliber after all." He directed this gaze particularly at Aerith who gracefully ignored him with all the dignity of a queen. Huffing a little at the lack of response, Marluxia raised a pink eyebrow then put his hands on his hips and turned to Vexen. "Why don't you take a look at the boy's wounds?"

Vexen recoiled with disbelief, his voice a cold hiss. "Have you lost your mind, Marluxia? The Superior would have my head if he knew I was aiding the enemy."

"Who cares what Xemnas thinks? I'm tired with this whole ordeal. Besides, Xemnas does nothing but look down on the rest of us. His and his damn superiority complex. He belittles the rest of us just to make his dark power seem so high and mighty. It's disgusting."

"What's disgusting is your inability to see your own superiority complex, oh Graceful Assassin." Vexen sneered these last words.

"Uncertain of your own abilities?" Marluxia tapped his chin. "I suppose I understand. That wound does look fairly nasty. It would be shameful not to be able to treat it, so it's best not to look at all, right?"

Riku watched the verbal fight go from one spirit to the other, shocked at what Marluxia was doing. Was the pink-haired spirit actually trying to help them? What was he up to?

"What are you up to, Marluxia?" Apparently Zexion shared his concern as well.

"What's wrong, Cloaked Schemer, are you confused? Can't I play my own game as well?" Zexion scowled but said no more.

Marluxia's expression was nothing but a condescending sneer at this point, but there was a spark of dangerous intelligence behind those eyes. Riku could only stare as Marluxia slowly continued to rile Vexen up. The normally cool and collected doctor was gradually becoming more and more irritated; it looked as though Marluxia really knew how to press his buttons. After a few minutes of Marluxia's barbed words, Vexen finally growled and threw up his hands. "Fine. I remain unconvinced that coddling is the best way to treat an enemy, but if it will silence your mouth, I will have a look at the boy."

With that said, he pushed himself away from the wall, walking as dignified as one could over to Riku in his charred cloak. Personally, Riku wasn't feeling all that confident. Sure Vexen was a doctor, but he also worked for Xemnas. Were the others really going to go along with this?

"No need to look quite so terrified," Vexen muttered. The spirit's hand was freezing on his shoulder as he pushed Riku back down onto the makeshift flower bed. As he lifted Riku's vest away from the wound again, Aerith came to sit beside him, her presence giving Riku a little reassurance. Back near the mouth of the cave, Marluxia was still trying to wring water out of his cloak. Demyx was looking from the captive flower spirit then peeking back out into the courtyard, undoubtedly trying to gauge if how badly his magic was still needed in the fight. Namine and Zexion were speaking quietly to each other, trying to strategize perhaps.

Riku was brought back to his own situation with a sharp hiss as Vexen unsympathetically prodded at the gouge in his side. The doctor's expression was all business as leaned down and squinted at the cut. Riku had the uncomfortable feeling of being on some operating table."Yes, I see that a simple Curaga would be ineffective. There's a barrier of black magic of sorts which would have rebuffed that spell. No matter, nothing some cleaning won't repair."

Riku's body gave a jerk of surprise as Vexen laid his hand over the wound and suddenly filled it with what felt like freezing cold air. Vexen looked unimpressed by the reaction, however, and simply pressed his hand down harder, holding it in place for another few minutes as Riku felt his entire body temperature plummet.

As Riku started to violently shiver, Demyx pulled his head back into the earthen bunker and called out. "Guys, Xemnas just came out into the courtyard and he looks really angry! I'm going back out."

As he made to leave, Zexion caught the back of his jacket. "Wait. I'm coming with you."

"No you're not. You could barely walk an hour ago." It was a somewhat harsher reply than what had been expected but Demyx's quiet tone revealed just how worried he was.

Zexion frowned. "I have rested enough. The rest of you are tiring too fast to be without any help. Even you have been hurt, and you're a water god. Besides, my attacks do not require me to be in any physical danger. I work with illusions, remember?"

Demyx bit his lip. He looked back to the others then back to Zexion. After a pause, he sighed then nodded. "Alright. But stay close to me, okay? And if you feel like you're getting tired, let me know and I can bring you back here to rest."

"This is a battle, if we get tired, we will have to persevere. Don't treat me like a child."

"I can't help it. I told the other's I hate fighting! This is why. I don't want to see any more of my friends hurt!"

"Then we had best leave before anyone out there gets hurt before we can reach them."

Unable to argue, Demyx nodded and the two of them darted back out into the melee, Zexion disappearing under an illusion of invisibility as soon as he stepped past the safety of the bunker's threshold. Riku watched them go enviously, clenching his fists together in an effort to stop his body from jerking. At least Vexen had stopped his blast of cold air but now he was poking and prodding as if to see what other internal organs he could freeze.

After a few more moments though, Vexen finally pulled away to inspect his work. "Not bad. It should be cleansed enough in any case to now permit a few Curaga spells. The wound is fairly deep but with magic healing everything should sew itself up sufficiently to avoid any infections. I assume you can take care of the Curaga spells?"

He directed this question at Aerith. The queen gave the smallest of nods then took Vexen's place as he stepped back. Riku was still shivering as she lay a comforting hand on his chest, her touch infinitely more gentle than Vexen's cold precision as she murmured the healing spell. This time, Riku could feel the wound begin to close up and his energy slowly return to him. He had never been more grateful for magical healing. It took three Curaga spells to repair the wound sufficiently, but when Aerith pulled away after the third, Riku found that he could easily sit up with only a slight twinge of pain from the memory of the wound.

Aerith smiled as his pleased expression, though her eyes held a tint of concern. "Well, I suppose you are healthy to go back into the fight."

Was she worried about her own safety? Riku looked around to realize that if he were to leave, it would just be her and Namine against Vexen and Marluxia. He couldn't leave them so defenseless, but he really needed to get back out into the courtyard to help Sora. Noticing his uncertainty, Marluxia rolled his eyes. "We're your captives, remember? It's not as if we would put up a fight when we know we can be beaten. Vexen and I will remain here and wait for this whole thing to blow over."

"Speak for yourself." Vexen snapped. "I will not remain here while the Superior is out fighting."

"Stop being so incessantly loyal. We both know Xemnas' hold was growing shaky over this world anyway, and the scales seem to be tipping in favor of this rag-tag army. Return to the battle if you wish, but if you do I might just have to tell your precious Superior that you helped to heal young Jenovan. He wouldn't be too happy with you, would he?"

"You're blackmailing me to remain here?!" Riku had never heard so much emotion in Vexen's voice which had risen to an indignant pitch.

"I'm blackmailing you to save your life." Marluxia shot back. "You will thank me later."

Vexen grimaced but crossed his arms. Apparently he was giving in; though Riku wasn't sure if it was from fear of Xemnas or the fact that he would also say that the tide was turning on their regime. Once both of them had quieted down, however, Namine spoke up, her voice as quiet and calming as ever. "We will be alright, Riku. Go and help Sora. Even if they change their minds, we will be able to defend ourselves. We are not as weak as you think."

Riku clenched his fists. "I don't, I don't think you're weak. I just worry about you." He stood up. It was a half-truth. He knew Namine and Aerith were strong, but he didn't know how strong, if they were actually powerful enough to equal Marluxia and Vexen's power. But he had no choice. They were freely allowing him to leave and Sora was out fighting, using energy he didn't have. "Fine. I trust you. But be careful."

"Same to you."

Riku nodded. He stared searchingly at Marluxia as he walked to the entrance, but, finding no trace of emotion to reveal his true intentions, forced himself to continue walking and stepped outside.

Immediately after he left the earthen bunker, his concerns for Aerith and Namine slipped to the back of his mind as the sounds and sight of battle once again filled his senses. More of the palace walls had gone down and the courtyard had been so overturned that it was nothing but a field of loose dirt now. The air was filled with a dusty haze and the scent of magic and blood and Riku could only stare shocked for a second. Axel had turned his attentions to Yazoo and Loz who were double-teaming him. Yazoo, who had apparently picked himself up after Sora's intervention, was firing shot after shot at the red-head who blocked the bullets with well time bursts of fire so hot that it burned blue. He rebuffed Loz's lightening-fast charges in the same manner, though also keeping the largest Jenovan at bay with his spinning chakrams. Roxas was close to him, just barely holding his own against Saix. Both light and wolf spirit were covered in dirt and blood but Riku was impressed how well Roxas was doing with his two Keyblades. The young prince's expression was set in angry determination as he blocked each blow Saix sent down with his terrifying claymore.

Xigbar was perched up on the wall now, fighting Xaldin who was stabbing viciously with his lances whenever Xigbar transported to. Lexaeus was below them fighting back some of Xemnas's guards, a bleeding gash across one of his large arms an indicator as to why he had relinquished his fight with Xaldin. Leon was still fighting in close combat with Larxene. The lightning spirit appeared to be more tired than the lion but neither looked ready to give anytime soon, still slashing at each other with equal vicious strength.

Cloud was still locked close with Kadaj, both of their expressions dark. Just passed their fight, closer to the palace building, was Sora, swinging his two Keyblades fiercely against a growing number of Heartless. The Heartless were coming from Xemnas, who in the center of that black mass was laughing at Sora's efforts. Sora was still in his Final form though, still glowing and hovering off of the ground as he delivered his deadly blows. Even from the distance though, Riku could see Sora's brown spikes and clothes sticking to his neck and back from sweat. The Prince was tiring fast and he still had such a long way to go to reach Xemnas.

Riku immediately called Way to the Dawn to his hand and ran to Sora's aid. He struck down any guard or Heartless that got in his way, though his attention was so focused on getting to Sora that he didn't once glance back to see if he had managed to kill them or not.

However, as he was passing Cloud and Kadaj, Kadaj twisted Cloud's sword from his hand with his double-bladed katana. Riku could only watch horrified as Cloud was thrown to the ground then pierced through the shoulder by the double sword. He couldn't believe that his brother had actually managed to get the upper hand against Cloud. Cloud was so fast that he was unbeatable, right? Riku had never thought to be worried for the older spirit's safety. When the wolf spirit cried out in pain, Riku found his voice. "_Cloud!_"

Cloud twisted his head back at the shout though his face quickly contorted with pain and looked back to Kadaj as the silver-haired spirit ripped his sword out. Kadaj's own expression was one Riku had never seen before. There was a hint of madness there that terrified Riku. He had always known that Kadaj was the most unstable of his brothers, but he hadn't imagined that Kadaj would seem to like killing another living being quite this much. Riku started running toward them as Kadaj heaved Cloud up by the collar of his black vest and grinned, his voice loud and twisted as he put his sword to Cloud's throat. He was drawing blood as he pressed down harder and harder. "I always knew it would end like this, Cloud. Me, killing you. It was destined after those fools assigned me to be your Guardian. Imagine me, guarding some worthless bastard animal! I'll have fun watching you die-"

"Kadaj, let him go!" Riku interrupted his brother's speech with his body, literally shoving Kadaj to the side. Cloud fell back to the ground coughing, using his good arm to reach for his sword as the other lay at his side, the wound to the shoulder rendering it useless.

Kadaj only kicked Riku away though, bouncing back to his feet before slashing out at his youngest brother. His face was now a mask of rage. "This has nothing to do with you, brat! Once I'm finished with Cloud, I'll kill you too because of what you took from me!"

Riku's eyes widened as he saw Kadaj's hands glow black but could not raise a Dark Shield quickly enough. The black orb of magic exploded as it hit his chest, sending him flying back a few feet, closer to Sora and the Heartless. Riku picked himself back up, intent on running back to help Cloud but Leon beat him to it.

With an angry roar, Leon in his lion form had suddenly leapt in from the side, tearing at Kadaj before he moved to stand protectively over Cloud's fallen body. Kadaj recovered from his shock to point his sword at the snarling lion, unfazed as Leon's lips curled. The silver-haired spirit walked a slow circle around Cloud's body and Leon twisted around at every turn to always face him, his large paws carefully stepping over Cloud's body as he moved. Below, Cloud could only lay frozen, fingers wrapped around the hilt of his blade but too weak to grip it with enough strength to lift it off the ground. After a few tries, he gave up and loosed his fingers to grab shakily instead at Leon's brown fur. Finally, Kadaj stopped and tilted his head to the side. "Such love and compassion for such a dirty animal. But I suppose it is fitting, seeing as how you're the same. I should kill you both, or you can kill me, if you really want to be his Guardian so badly."

Leon's growls only deepened, the muscles in his back tensing. Kadaj made the first move, striking forward so fast that Riku could barely see the arc of his sword. Leon was ready though, and let loose a roar that sent Kadaj tumbling back similar to how he had sent Riku flying just moments before.

Kadaj landed only feet away from Riku, and the younger felt his face pale as nearly identical aquamarine eyes turned on him again.

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Alright, dudes. I have a proposition for you, as thanks to your support and patience. I'm going to write a bonus chapter once the main storyline's over and I was thinking of focusing in on one pairing. (You may note I did a similar thing at the end of the Haunted series.) And, like last time, I request your input. Review for this chapter and tell me who you want to see more of: Riku/Sora, Leon/Cloud, Axel/Roxas, Zexion/Demyx, etc. I'll be taking the most popular vote and writing it, so voice your thoughts, dudes! I warn you now, whatever you pick, it will be fluffy! ^^

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	20. Chapter 20

Whoa. I give you dudes a task and you totally rally with the reviews. I should have offered a bonus chapter a long time ago! ;) Kidding, but I really am happy with the response I got from you guys. Awesome. Let me just say that so far there is a definite dominating couple that you guys want to see, but there is still time to vote. Continue to vote if you haven't thrown in your lot yet. Try not to vote twice. I'm not going to go back to check to see if you've voted twice, but let's work on the honor system here. Scout's honor and all that. So ya, enough of my rambling. Let's get on with the story!

But first, thanks to: The Emerald Shapeshifter, Nierx, Taryn Eithne, NiffStral, Shinimegami7, DieChan, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, ^RiSora_fan^, My-Emo-Sunshine, Wind Kaizer, Twilight Emo Wind Goddess 801, shineb4by, CloudedMirror, Ultima Phoenix, Mirror and Darkling, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, A-chan, auPHE, LiteraryMirage, Timothy the paperclip, infinityinmirrors, Twilight-Oblivion, andhearts, Nezrin, whereowhere-is-my-rabbit, LoneBoy7, FlurryDivider, Aindel S. Druida, xLion-Heartx, clemii, Nathali, Dust to Dusk, ramen-is-my-goddess, Silvertails, becoafamu, 73n5Hl, Lightspeed Suzuka.

So many names, and so many opinions! Keep at it dudes! ^^

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Chapter 20

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Riku felt his throat tighten in fear as Kadaj got back onto his feet. His fingers clutched around Way to the Dawn as his brother approached. Out of the corner of his eyes, Riku suddenly noted that Yazoo and Loz were beginning to cut away from their own fights, their eyes on him and Kadaj. Riku couldn't spare the time to note their expressions though, he couldn't tell if they were going to help Kadaj or not. Part of him wanted to think that Yazoo looked mildly concerned for his safety, but that might just be hopeful wishing. If it came down to it, he knew his two other brothers would be more loyal to Kadaj.

Kadaj had raised his double-bladed katana, that crazed glint still in his aqua eyes.

Gritting his teeth, Riku held his Keyblade at the ready. "Kadaj! Think about what you're doing! How could you do that to Cloud? You're still his Guardian, you feel the pain too."

Kadaj tilted his head to the side before his handsome features were twisted with a sneer. "Don't you get it? Any pain would be worth it. So long as I kill him I would suffer through anything! Once he's dead I can be free of that damned obligation and reach my full potential. What's a little bit of pain if I can become infinitely stronger?!"

So Kadaj really was set on this. Riku couldn't understand his logic, but that was probably because he loved Sora. He had already accidentally hurt the young prince and that had nearly driven him mad. To actually _want_ to kill your charge, that was inconceivable. Not to mention that Kadaj's blade was now pointed unsympathetically at him.

Adjusting his stance, Riku asked quietly as Kadaj took another step toward him. "Could you really hurt me? Yazoo thought he could, but he didn't have it in him. I don't think Loz could either."

Kadaj chuckled. "I'm not like our brothers. I mean to kill you, and I promise you, nothing will hold me back!"

The only warning Riku received was a flash of his brother's eyes before Kadaj rushed forward. Their swords clashed. Riku saw that Kadaj was twisting his sword to tangle his own up as he had done with Cloud's Buster sword. He countered this by pulling his sword back just in time, switching to another attack as he dodged Kadaj's strike by leaping to the side.

Kadaj was fast though, and incessantly slashing with his sword, strikes aimed for Riku's torso and throat. He was definitely going for the kill. Riku was just fast enough to manage avoid being mortally wounded; as it was, his clothes had tears and many of his brother's blows left shallow cuts along his body. After a few twists and turns, Riku found his back to Leon and Cloud. As Kadaj advanced, he could see Sora fighting from over his brother's shoulder. His blood rushed all the way to his ears; Sora was being overwhelmed with Xemnas' Heartless.

Kadaj attacked in his moment of distraction. Riku knew something like this would happen but still was surprised by the move. His raised defense was too slow but before Kadaj's hit could land Riku found himself shoved out of the way by a massive furry shoulder.

The bump had unbalanced Riku and he fell to the ground as Leon rammed into Kadaj, clawed paws gripping Kadaj's black outfit and throwing him to the ground. Riku scrambled to his feet as Leon roared right in Kadaj's face. His powerful jaw then latched onto Kadaj's shirt and tossed him to the side. He must have sunk down to the skin because when Kadaj caught himself and regained his balance Riku could see blood trickling from the ripped shirt. Kadaj though, didn't seem to notice, a grin on his face as he slashed at the massive great cat. There was a splatter of blood but Leon ran through it, claws flashing as he tried to tackle the silver-haired man again.

They dodged each other; sword and claws striking. Riku had just decided to go to Sora when his attention flew back to his brother's fight as Leon let out a pained snarl. Leon's shoulder had been cut, the blood beginning to mat the thick, brown fur. The lion only looked more enraged but stumbled on his feet, muscles straining to regain control as Kadaj swung his double katana again.

Riku tisked then flew to the lion's aid.

His sword clashed with his older brother's, the metallic ring a distinct change of sounds. Kadaj scowled and threw his weight into his weapon. Riku's shoes dug against the upturned courtyard dirt as Kadaj slowly forced his knees to the ground. Their swords sparked as they ground together and Kadaj's expression was darkening as he began to loom over Riku.

Riku could see the murder in Kadaj's near-identical aqua eyes as they darted across his own features; Kadaj was looking for a weak spot. He was actually calculating how to kill him. The thought sent a ripple of fear down Riku's spine but at the sound of dirt crunching under boots beside his head, he had to tear his stare away from his dangerous brother.

When he glanced to the side to the source of the noise, he was shocked to see Loz standing only a short distance away. Yazoo was right behind their larger brother. They weren't running to Riku's aid, but neither did they appear eager to help Kadaj. Loz, ever the childish one even at his current age, had an expression of confusion on his strong face. It was impossible to read Yazoo's thoughts from his expression, but the way that he was gripping his gun. His trigger finger was moving to and from the trigger, betraying his inner turmoil.

They didn't know who to help. They weren't completely as far gone as Kadaj, maybe they weren't yet comfortable with the idea of killing someone of their own blood.

Kadaj seemed to notice that Riku's attention was no longer on him. His eyes flashed over to where Riku was looking, narrowing as he peered through a curtain of silver hair. "Loz! Yazoo! What are you doing, standing there? Get back to the fight!"

"…Kadaj." Loz's voice was hesitant but Yazoo stepped in for their brother with his usual calm allure.

"Father wouldn't appreciate it if we killed baby brother, wouldn't you agree, Kadaj?"

Kadaj scowled, a black aura beginning to form around his body. His voice was loud and cracking at points. "I don't care what Father thinks. If he was too weak to come here and claim his rightful destiny, than I have nothing more to do with him!" He had definitely lost all composure and sanity. The Kadaj that Riku knew would have never disobeyed their Father. Maybe the fact that Sephiroth had refused to come back really had disillusioned his brother.

With a sharp laugh, Kadaj turned his eyes back to Riku. "I'll kill him if I want. He's just like Father, too weak to join the right path!"

Riku felt his blood run cold as Kadaj wrenched his sword free from their stalemate. Shit, Kadaj was moving too fast, his brother was serious and he really was going to die. He fell back, heart pounding in his chest as he threw his sword arm up to block whatever blow was to come. The other hand flew back to support his weight and in the process landed on…fur?

Riku craned his neck back just in time to see Leon leaping over him. The lion easily cleared him, a great paw batting the sword to the side as if it was a fly before Leon whipped around again. There was a splatter of blood as claws caught Kadaj's sword arm as Leon drove Kadaj back, back to where Cloud was.

Riku, despite his overwhelming desire to follow the battle, ran instead over to Sora. There was no time for gawking when his charge was left fighting alone. Only a few seconds had passed since Riku last set eyes on Sora but in that time the crown prince had started to have been overwhelmed by the black shadows of the Heartless. Hacking through the creatures as fast as he could, adrenaline pounded in his veins as he watched Sora being dragged under one of their waves. Just as Sora was about to disappear beneath them, Riku blasted the remaining Heartless still between them with a burst of black magic then grabbed onto the collar of Sora's silver and white outfit. It was the first thing his fingers had wrapped around but served its purpose as Riku threw his weight into pulling Sora up, catching the younger spirit with one arm as the prince stumbled back up. The light magic Sora was emitting still burned his skin, but not so much now.

That final form, effective as if may have been to have helped Sora so far, really was taking its toll on his body. Sora's face was pale and sweaty, his eyes slightly glassy as he looked up at Riku. He seemed breathless for a moment then broke into a wide smile. "Riku! You're alright!"

"But you're not-!" Riku cut himself off to throw up a Dark Shield as four Heartless jumped at them simultaneously. As they scratched at the opaque shield, blackened forms darkened further so that their eyes were the only thing which distinguished them apart, Riku looked back at Sora. "I might have healed but if you don't drop this form, you'll be too exhausted to defend yourself."

The two Keyblades hovering at Sora's sides trembled in the air a little as Sora's light flickered, the prince's face scrunching up as if he was considering the option. "But, I, I need to keep fighting. We're not done yet."

"Let me help you. Let the Final Form go and let me be your second sword. I'm here now and I'll protect you. You don't have to do this on your own."

Sora stared up at him for a second with his large blue eyes then gave a little laugh that sent a warm shock down Riku's spine. "I guess that's what you're here for, right?" He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Riku's torso. "Alright." His eyebrows furrowed, eyes still closed as he seemed to fall into a deep concentration. Riku watched as slowly, the intensity of the light around the prince faded. His clothes regained their colors almost as if being painted as he released his Final form, the two Keyblades disappearing in showers of light. It was certainly an amazing sight to see and when Sora opened his eyes again he was back to normal.

Seeing a bit of fatigue in the gaze as well, Riku readjusted his grip on his charge, looking back only once to the Heartless still clawing at his shield. Fractures were beginning to appear along it; it was only a matter of time before they broke through. "Are you going to be able to fight?"

"I think so."

Riku knew that Sora was more tired than he was letting on, but he was in no position to say anything considering the fact that he had been seriously wounded not a few minutes ago. So he only gave a nod instead and dropped the shield just as a Heartless managed to dig its claws through the opaque energy. He was going to let Sora fight, but he wasn't going to take his eyes off of his charge for a single second. It felt good though, to be alongside Sora again.

Meanwhile, Leon and Kadaj were locked in a vicious fight. Though both were proficient fighters, Kadaj with his speed seemed to be slowly getting the upper hand. As a lion, Leon had more power in every blow, but although his reflexes were quick enough to take down any normal opponent, Kadaj was just too fast. Leon let out a pained growl as Kadaj managed to cut his left forearm, the scratch relatively shallow but still matting his rich brown fur with blood as Leon twisted around to face the silver-haired spirit again. Kadaj flicked his bangs from his face as Leon released a rumbling roar then jumped.

In mid-leap, Leon transformed from animal to human, the shift fluidly turning claws to Gunblade as Leon struck down hard. Kadaj leapt backward just in time to avoid being hit, the dark spirit's body crackling with black magic. The energy flowed down to the double-bladed katana, turning the steel black as Kadaj sneered.

"Do you really think you, such a dirty and disgusting creature, would really be able to defeat me?!"

Panting, Leon's stormy eyes caught something off to the side before he lifted his Gunblade level. "I'm not the one who needs to fight you."

Kadaj's eyes widened as he heard movement from behind, the grind of metal against dirt as a sword swept off the ground.

Riku was a few Heartless away from reaching Xemnas, the other dark elemental was summoning his own weapons, when he heard Loz and Yazoo cry out. He couldn't help but turn his head, they were still his brothers after all.

Then it felt as if his heart stopped beating.

Kadaj was standing stock still, dark red blood beginning to trickle from his mouth. Somehow Cloud had managed to sit up and stab Kadaj from behind. Riku's horror increased as Kadaj somehow managed to pull himself off of Buster sword and turn around, revealing Cloud. The wolf spirit's face was twisted into an expression of extreme pain, undoubtedly sharing his Guardian's pain, but it was also firmly set. His brother, even as he stumbled, lifted his double-bladed katana and loomed over Cloud. He was still putting up a fight, determined, it seemed, to give the last blow.

But Leon wasn't going to allow Cloud to take another hit. Riku could only watch as Leon growled and aimed his Gunblade before letting off, one, two, three shots straight into Kadaj's chest. Yazoo and Loz hadn't even had the opportunity to come to their brother's defense as he fell, but ran to his side as he collapsed to the ground.

Suddenly Riku felt a sting in his mind and twisted around to see that Sora had broken through to Xemnas and that the two of them were now clashing swords. Shit. There was no time to think about Kadaj. His other brothers could tend to him but right now, it was Riku's job to protect Sora. Biting his lip and smothering all concerns for his brother, he rushed forward to Sora, channeling all his grief to anger as he targeted Xemnas. His anger spiked along with his horror as Xemnas managed to grab hold of Sora and threw him up into the air.

Riku cried out as he watched Xemnas transport in a black ball of energy up into the air as well, brandishing his two energy blades as he flashed around Sora's falling form, slashing from all sides. Sora was attempting to fight back with his Keyblade but it was obvious that he was getting beaten up. Riku was at a loss at to what to do when Xigbar suddenly appeared, the Captain of the guards grabbing onto Sora as he shot off five arrows toward Xemnas. A second later, Xigbar appeared beside Riku, handing Sora off before he shot off back into the air to catch Xemnas as the dark elemental fell.

The two of them battled in midair, flashing into the air every few seconds, red blades swinging and arrows shooting out in every direction. After two minutes of viciously rapid fighting, Xemnas called a Dark Orb into his palm, and when Xigbar appeared, threw it at his face. Xigbar reeled back, distacted long enough for Xemnas to slam the broadside of his blade into his chest. Riku paled, calling out as he saw the spirit's body convulse under the blow before Xigbar vanished. Then, Xemnas turned his attention back to the two younger spirits below.

Not a second later, Xemnas' red glowing blades were coming down over Sora. In one motion, Riku twisted Sora behind him intercepted them with his own Keyblade. The force of the two swords nearly sent Riku to the ground again but he willed himself to remain standing. So close to Xemnas, he could feel Xehanort's Heartless rearing in some back corner of his mind, trying to regain the dominance which Sephiroth had destroyed. But Riku wasn't going to let that happen. With a growl, he reset his grip on Way to the Dawn then pushed forward against Xemnas' blades, throwing the other elemental back a step.

Xemnas scowled then leapt back into the crawling mass of Heartless and threw out his hands. His red-energy swords extended before he suddenly threw one out. It flew like a solid pole, turning end over end. Wincing, Riku threw up a Dark Shield. The red energy hit and shattered it on contact. Riku was forced to throw up his Keyblade. There was a flash of red light as the two hit and the red blade disappeared only to reappear in Xemnas's hand again.

Riku turned back to Sora, expression stern. "It's time to end this, Sora."

Sora, serious for once, nodded. He bit his lip then took half a second to squeeze Riku's free hand. Riku felt some of his anger leave; it was literally as if Sora was soothing the grief with only a touch. In fact it was more soothing than a kiss would have been in this situation, more understanding considering what had just happened to his brother.

The touch lasted only half a second but it was all Riku needed to gear himself up for the fight at hand. When Sora broke forward into a run, Riku followed right at his shoulder. Sora was glowing like a star in the night sky as he dove into the mass of Heartless, apparently confident so long as Riku was at his side, able to remain strong though tired because of Riku. They easily cut through the Heartless, racing toward Xemnas.

Before they reached the leader however, Xemnas smirked and lifted his hand and suddenly they were surrounded by pure darkness. It was almost as if they had been lifted into another dimension, even the ground was completely black. Immediately, Riku grabbed Sora and pulled him close, only able to see the other because he was faintly glowing still. Sora looked up at him with wide blue eyes as both held their swords ready. "What just happened?"

"I'm not sure." Riku's eyes narrowed as he scanned the area, all of his senses heightened as he looked for any changes, and signs of attack. Suddenly, red energy blades appeared all around them. Riku gasped as he felt Sora tense next to him. There was no way he would be able to protect Sora from all of them. He could feel his face drain of all color as he conjured a Dark Shield, knowing it would do nothing against the many blades as they began to spin, rushing together to create a glowing, geometric dome around them. The spinning increased until it all became a bright blur before the first blade flew out toward them.

Riku grimaced as it shattered his shield.

Two other blades flew out from opposite directions. Riku knocked the first one off its course as Sora took care of the other but when he heard a rush of air around them, Riku knew that they were in trouble. Suddenly all of the blades were coming at them like deadly rain from all directions. Riku swung Way to the Dawn and kept twisting the sword. At his side, he felt a flood of warmth, twisting his head to see that Sora had turned back to his Final Form.

The Prince's two Keyblades whipped around them and knocked the red blades back at rapid speed, light flashing each time contact was made until it seemed as if they were in the center of a firework show. Red blades still managed to slip through the cracks though, and these Riku batted away now that Sora was unarmed while his blades provided the basic defense. He found himself twisting every which way, throwing himself in front of the incoming blades whenever he saw them coming. If his sword didn't deflect them then they hit his body, searing his skin or leaving bloody scratches as they skipped over his body. One in particular got him hard across the chest, cutting across his already tattered vest and scraping across his chest before he managed to dodge fully out of the way.

Just when Riku thought he couldn't take anymore, the red blades stopped falling. Sora took the opportunity and a flash of light burst out from him, blinding Riku but also cutting through the dark world they had been thrown into.

When he next opened his eyes, they were back in the courtyard and the battlefield. Immediately after he took sight of their surroundings, Riku spotted Xemnas and ran at him. Xemnas, looking more smug, was already armed again. Just as they were within close-distant range, Sora came up side by side Riku, sparing him a strained smile before gliding forward.

Xemnas met both of them at once, blocking Sora's extra Keyblade with a Dark Shield. He disappeared in a black orb, appearing in a flash behind Sora. The prince just managed to guard against the attack. Riku swept after Xemnas, expression dark as the three of them began a dangerous sort of unpredictable dance. Xemnas wasn't pulling any punches, fighting to kill as he flashed all around them. The Heartless too were still there and troublesome, their claws grasping for any part of their bodies which remained still for too long.

After Xemnas disappeared yet again, Riku gasped as he found himself rammed in the back with one of Xemnas's blades. He fell forward, knees hitting the ground hard. A flash of light out of the corner of his eyes let him know that Sora was moving in for support but a moment later, Sora fell down onto the ground next to him, Xemnas's heavy chuckle filling the air.

With a start, Riku lurched toward Sora. He picked him up in his arms to find that the crown prince was covered in sweat, his breaths slow and shallow as the color slowly bled back into his clothes, light once again fading as he let his Final form go.

"The little fool ran out of energy, wasting it as he was."

Riku turned to see Xemnas walking calmly over to them. He pulled Sora tighter into his arms and leaned the other's head against his shoulder, the spiky brown hair brushing against his cheek. The Prince really had run out of energy, Riku could somehow feel how exhausted Sora was without even having to see the other's expression. Riku was scared for his charge, especially because he could feel Xehanort's Heartless stirring again. It was a horrible sensation, knowing that creature might be able to regain control of him again if he came too close in contact with Xemnas. Sora grabbed Riku's sleeve as if he felt his anxiety, trying to speak through panted breaths. "I'm…I'm okay. Just, give me…give me a few seconds…"

Xemnas' eyes narrowed and he threw out one of his hands. A red blade appeared from his palm. "Your Majesty, I'm afraid that you are not going anywhere. You see, you and your Guardian are part of an outdated system. In my new world order there is no place for weak rulers. The strongest survive and that is why we superior beings can come into power. Jenovan, you had such potential, but you have disappointed me up until the end. Despite your fine pedigree, you will have to be killed too. Such is the cost of rebellion."

Xemnas raised his energy blade. Riku threw himself on top of Sora, ready to take the hit when he heard Xemnas shout in pain. He quickly lifted his head to see Xemnas clutching a bloody right hand, eyes widening when his saw a bullet wound in the middle of the spirit's palm. He glanced to the side, expecting that Leon had come to their rescue. But instead, it was Yazoo standing a few yards away. The silver-haired spirit's expression was deadly as he lowered his gun. "We have already lost one brother, and I will not tolerate the death of another. This was not what we expected at all, and not worth the pain. Loz and I are taking Kadaj and going back to Father."

Riku's eyes widened. "Yazoo, take Kadaj to Aerith! She's in that pocket of dirt against the wall. She can heal him!"

Yazoo's eyes softened as they fell on his youngest brother, betraying some of his grief. "He's already gone, Riku…"

Riku's voice caught in his throat. He momentarily fell limp, heart pounding in his chest. Sora's fingers tightened around his shirt as Riku tried to collect his thoughts. Then he glanced up at Xemnas, who was still clutching at his wound. Realizing the opportunity even through his grief, Riku fumbled for his sword.

Sora saw his movements and reached for his own sword which was a few inches from his fingertips. Riku noted this and tightened his arm that was wrapped around Sora's waist, the two of them silently conspiring. Then, at once, they sprung forward. Xemnas raised a Dark Shield which momentarily stopped the Keyblades. But Riku and Sora pressed harder. The shield suddenly fractured, a hairline crack rippling out like glass before it shattered.

Their Keyblades went through the broken shield. Riku swore that he felt his sword sink through the first layer of clothing before Xemnas disappeared underneath their force in an orb of black magic. Riku tumbled forward from the momentum, scrambling to catch Sora as the other boy nearly dropped to his feet. He whipped his head around, anxious to find Xemnas as the Heartless around them sunk back into the ground and disappeared.

He finally spotted him halfway across the courtyard, his front bloody. He was with Saix, who had a firm hold on his master to support him as they headed for the palace doors. They were trying to make an escape. Gritting his teeth, Riku adjusted his hold on Sora. "Hey, get back here, coward!"

Xemnas didn't spare him even a second glance though and slipped back into the palace. Riku wanted to go after him, but he couldn't with Sora so weak in his arms. He looked around for anyone else able to go after the Superior only to see that everyone else was in shambles as well.

Groups of people were scattered across the torn up courtyard. Demyx and everyone in a fifty foot radius around him were soaking wet and covered in mud, including Zexion who just now revealed himself. The violet-haired spirit looked disgusted but seemed uninjured, which was more than what could be said for Larxene and a handful of guards nearby. Xaldin was trapped against the wall by a large slab of jutting earth, Lexaeus having finally gotten the upper hand though leaning heavily on his giant tomahawk as he towered over Axel and Roxas. Axel had the younger prince set firmly in his lap and was in the process of rolling up the small spirit's pant leg, slowly revealing a series of nasty red scratches which only could have been inflicted by Saix.

Leon and Cloud were decidedly out of commission. Well, Cloud was. Aerith had just now snuck out of the bunker and was tending to her eldest son, but Leon looked like he had no intention of leaving. He was holding Cloud up, the lion spirit's face buried into the other's shoulder. He was holding him tight, fingers woven into the wolf's blond spikes. Xigbar, Marluxia, Vexen, and Namine were nowhere in sight, but Riku had a feeling at least the latter few were still hopefully in that earthen bunker.

He had to let Xemnas go then. For now. He was set on this until Sora pushed his arm. Riku looked down to see those blue eyes staring up at him with earnest seriousness. "I'll be fine, Riku. Nothing's wrong with me except for the fact that I'm tired. The fight's over. I can make it over to Cloud or Roxas, but you should go after them. He's injured. Capture him if you can, for me. We can't just let him go."

Riku bit his lip but nodded, unable to disobey a direct request. Gently, he set Sora down, kissing the prince's forehead before he ran off toward the palace. He knew that Xemnas and Saix couldn't have gotten that far ahead; Xemnas really had been badly hurt, they would have had to move slowly. Riku himself wasn't in top shape, covered in cuts and slashes and bruises, but he certainly was better off than them. Way to the Dawn was resting comfortingly in his hand as he jogged through the palace halls. A trail of dirt and specs of blood led him passed inner courtyards and the throne room and other closed doors.

Riku suddenly realized that he was being led toward the infirmary. Having a better idea what was going on, he picked up his speed, turning the next corner to see the hem of a black cloak disappearing into the infirmary doors. When he ran to the doors, he reached it just in time to see Saix and Xemnas stepping into the fragile-looking artificial portal.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Saix glanced back at him with eyes full of hatred just as they vanished into the swirling black portal. Growling, Riku ran after them but stopped short of actually stepping though the gateway. With no animal spirit alongside to guide him, it would be impossible for him to chase after those two. But they had just gone to Destiny Islands. He had to go get Namine.

Turning around so fast that he nearly tripped over his own feet, Riku ran back outside, back to the aftermath of the fight. By the time he exited the palace, more people were beginning to pick themselves and their comrades up off the ground from both sides. There seemed to be an uneasy and confused truce, though Riku could see that Aerith had enlisted Demyx, Zexion, and Axel in starting to round everyone together, taking control of the situation for their side.

He took only a moment to note that Sora was safe and with Roxas before he hurried to the far side, to where the earthen bunker was leaning against the wall. When he reached it, the interior was as dark and dusty as he remembered, and it took a moment for his eyes to readjust. When he finally could see however, he saw Marluxia standing not a few feet in, the flower spirit's face calm and almost meditative. As if feeling Riku's gaze, Marluxia cracked one eye open. "Has everything finally settled out? Took long enough. I'm sick of staying here under the dirt. It's doing nothing to help me dry out after that water god's irritating attack."

"Yeah, it's done. Go out if you want," Riku took a step into the shadows, noting that Vexen was crouched in the back, leaning over a reclining figure. A step further revealed that figure to be Xigbar, who looked well-beaten, his face sporting a long gash on the cheek below his eye-patch. "Are you okay?"

Wincing, Xigbar rolled his head over to grin at him through his grimace. "Hey, little dude, I'm doing awesome. Better than those punks who went up against me anyway. That run in with the boss-dude really gave me a run for my money, but it'll take more than that to get rid of me! Ah, man, Vex, quit touching things, you're only making them worse!"

Vexen rolled his eyes as Xigbar tugged his bleeding arm out of the doctor's grip. "Honestly, Xigbar. You're such a child when it comes to treatment." Apparently he had resigned to his position as captive if he was helping their side. Perhaps he just couldn't help but look after a person who had just recently been on his team.

"That's 'cause I don't need any of your doctor mumbo-jumbo. I let things take their natural course, heal on their own."

"And that's how you lost that eye."

Riku snorted at their argument then looked around the space, pausing for a moment before he asked. "Where's Namine?"

"Oh," Marluxia pushed himself away from the curving dirt wall. "One of your brothers came and took her away. The larger one, with the short hair."

"_Loz?!_" Blood chilling, Riku ran over to Marluxia and grabbed his collar. "And you didn't try to stop him?"

"He ran in and out before I even knew what was happening. All I saw was a blur of silver hair. Besides," Marluxia huffed. "It's not my problem if she was taken or not. I am only your captive after all."

Riku tisked, brows furrowing before he dropped Marluxia and ran back out into the courtyard. If his brothers had taken Namine back with them that meant that there was no one who would be able to take him back to Destiny Islands. Sure, he could hope that his brothers and father would take care of Xemnas and Saix, but he didn't want to take that chance. He had to go back. His eyes fell on Leon, the only animal spirit he knew who was healthy enough to move. He set his mouth in a firm line; he definitely was going to go back. It was just a matter as to how he was going to drag Leon away from Cloud long enough to take him back.

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	21. Chapter 21

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Haha! I'm back! And, heh, I just realized I never reviewed to your comments from Chapter 19. Fail. Totally sorry about that, dudes, but if you also reviewed for Chapter 20, then I might just double-dip. (Edit note: I sent all you dudes replies! Rejoice!) Just know that I still love you guys the same!! ^^; With that said:

Thanks to all who reviewed for the last chapter: NarusaS, muumuu122, ChibixLeon, Ultima Phoenix, CloudedMirror89, Shinimegami7, Aindel S. Druida, Mirror and Darkling, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, LiteraryMirage, infinityinmirrors, Silver Butterfly07, xLion-Heartx, FlyingTackle, moontide!

Thanks so much! The voting is still going on! Go back to Chapter 19 if you have any questions! Hope you enjoy!

(Side Note: Mi gemela isn't here to edit this and I'm too lazy, so if you catch any errors, feel free to kindly point to them.)

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Chapter 21

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With a breath to steel himself, Riku marched over to Leon and Cloud. The poor wolf spirit was trembling. He appeared to be trying to control his shallow breathing, his chin tilted up and face buried in Leon's thick brown hair. It was a sad sight, especially because Cloud was making such an obvious effort to pull himself together, to try to be the warrior when he was feeling an undoubtedly unbearable amount of pain. For his part, Leon had a tight hold on the eldest prince. He was muttering words in a low rumble which Riku couldn't quite catch, so quiet that they were only meant for the other animal spirit's ears.

Leon didn't even bother to look up as Riku walked up to him, even after he let out a little cough. Finally, Riku frowned and crossed his arms. "Leon, I need your help."

Leon ignored him.

Growling, Riku put his foot down. "This is serious, Leon. Xemnas and Saix are loose in the human world. I need to get back there, to finish things, to keep them from making trouble. And you're the only animal sprit I can rely on right now."

Finally, Leon looked up, stormy eyes frigid as he clutched onto Cloud. "That is not my problem. Right now my place is here so find someone else."

Riku scowled before he felt a small touch on his elbow. He turned to see Sora standing next to him, the other's face pale from exhaustion but concerned. "Riku, what's going on?" Before Riku could answer, Sora knelt down in front of his older half-brother, though it seemed that his legs almost gave out from under him halfway through. "Cloud…"

Cloud winced and turned his face down to Sora. "It's, it's alright. I'll be fine." But he certainly wasn't fine now.

"I'm trying to convince Leon to bring me back to the human world." Riku murmured, answering Sora's first question as the prince reached out to pet Cloud's hair. "We need to finish this fight with Xemnas and Saix, and I can't allow him to be let loose on Destiny Islands."

With a frown, Sora sat back on his heels. He pursed his lips for a moment then sighed. "Leon," he closed his eyes and when he opened them again his expression had turned serious. "Leon, you need to help Riku." When Leon only snorted, Sora continued. "I mean it. He's right, we have to finish this, or else there will always be doubt about what happened to Xemnas, and whether or not he will ever pose a threat again. After everything he's done to my family, and to this world…we need to make sure that he won't hurt anyone again. And that includes humans. I can't go because I have to stay here and regain control, but I know I could trust Riku with you. Please, Leon."

Leon remained silent until Cloud nuzzled the other's cheek. "Go, Squall."

Leon frowned, expression still dark. After a few seconds though, he snorted, still glowering as he muttered. "Fine. I'll go. But I won't allow us to stay long, if we even manage to get through the portal."

This was apparently enough for Sora who smiled happily. "Thank you very much, Leon! I know I can entrust this to you. Take care of Riku, okay? Roxas, Mom, and I will take care of Cloud. Don't worry."

With a snort, Leon looked back down to Cloud, his expression softening to a surprising degree as he ran his fingers through Cloud's gold spikes. It looked as if he wasn't going to move anytime soon. Riku understood his level of devotion, but he really needed Leon's cooperation. Cloud frowned weakly at the touch. He sucked in a shaky breath then shoved Leon aside, much to the lion spirit's vocal displeasure. "Go, Squall. Don't make me tell you again."

Leon's lip curled up before he seemed to change his mind. He pushed himself onto his feet and picked up his Gunblade with a quiet snort. He didn't even look back as Cloud fell to the ground, the wolf unable to support his own weight. As Sora reached down to help his older brother, Leon walked over to Riku. His stormy eyes were narrowed with irritation. "Well, are you ready to go?"

Riku opened his mouth, shut it, then nodded. "Yes."

Without another word, Leon began to walk toward the palace. Riku glanced back at Sora, the two of them sharing a parting glance before Riku ran after the ruffled lion. Riku knew that he had to do this; for Sora and for Destiny Islands. His new and old worlds. He would find Xemnas and Saix and, somehow, he had to stop them. Him and Leon anyway.

Letting out a hiss, Riku hurried to keep up with Leon, catching up to his side just as they entered the palace. It was a little hard to keep up. Leon was moving at a furious pace, his strides long and purposeful. Riku frowned and jogged up to his side. "You know," he muttered, "You could have treated Cloud a little better."

"Don't test me, Jenovan, I'm not in a good mood."

Riku wisely shut up. He had known that Leon was protective of Cloud, but he really hadn't realized how much until now. But he respected that sort of affection; because he was starting to feel the same way for Sora, starting to feel that same complete and desperate need to protect, on his own merit instead of the Guardian spirit's. So he remained respectfully quiet and followed Leon to the infirmary. The palace was eerily silent as they walked. Riku hadn't noticed before when he had been chasing Xemnas and Saix, but looking at it now, it seemed to be completely abandoned.

He couldn't help but ask aloud. "Where is everyone? All the servants?"

"Hiding in the servants' wing, undoubtedly, waiting to discover the outcome of the fight."

He hadn't been expecting an answer, but it was nice to know that the servants hadn't completely disappeared or anything bad like that.

"And you needn't concern yourself with Cloud's welfare. Our relationship is different that yours and Sora. I take good care of him no matter how much he might hate the attention."

Riku glanced over to Leon's face. He really hadn't been expecting that. Leon was expressionless, all except for his eyes. His eyes revealed a troubled mind if you looked hard enough. They were directed straight ahead but his brown eyebrows were just slightly furrowed. Riku fell a step back. So Leon _was_ unhappy about how he had left Cloud. That made Riku feel a little better, to know that despite Leon's cold exterior, he really was attuned to other people's feelings.

Riku was so deep in his thoughts that he almost ran into Leon when they reached the infirmary doors, just stopping himself from hitting the lion's frozen back. He peered around the lion's shoulder and frowned when he saw nothing but the portal with its shifting edges in the middle of the room. He pressed tentatively against Leon's back. "Why did you stop? We have a job to do, remember?"

Leon twitched at this then stepped into the room though he glanced back to Riku with a scowl and lifted his Gunblade up onto his shoulder. "Just so you know, whatever happens is going to be your fault."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've never traveled through a portal before."

"You don't know how to use it?" Riku was incredulous. He thought it was like some instinctive part of being an animal spirit, to know how to use the portals.

Leon's eyes narrowed, as if he could read the other's mind. "I _can_ sense portals, but using them comes through experience and training."

Riku frowned before his eyes widened at the sight of the portal in the middle of the room. It was beginning to shrink, the edges beginning to fall in on each other. With a tisk, Riku ran toward it, twisting back to wave to Leon. "Come on. If we don't go now, we might not get another chance. I don't think the portal's going to last much longer."

Leon's lips set in a thin line but he nodded sternly. He grabbed Riku's wrist then in the same step walked fearlessly into the portal; all earlier apprehension apparently buried under a mask of indifference. As he was dragged after him, Riku was glad for that mask, because one of them had to look confident as Leon entered a portal for the first time.

It was darker that Riku remembered inside; the usual blinding light looking as if it was coated by a thin black cloud. He could actually see Leon in front of him, not blinded as he usually was. The lion spirit was completely stiff. Riku could almost see him bristling as Leon looked about. He understood why. They seemed to be walking on a surface only halfway-there; the tunnel had never seemed so unstable or ready to collapse when he had been with Namine. Now even the walls were folding and warping around them, seemingly dangerously close to shattering to pieces.

Suddenly Leon let out a quiet snarl. "I don't like this. Something's wrong."

Just as Leon said that, Riku felt a rush of cold wash over him. Knowing what that feeling meant very well, Riku immediately twisted around to face the greatest source of the chill. Three sets of headlight eyes lit up the side of the tunnel behind them and suddenly those eyes pushed out to show three Heartless crawling out of the dark mist.

"Leon!"

Leon twisted around at the same time that the Heartless leapt at them. Riku called Way to the Dawn, gripping the hilt as soon as it materialized and lifting it just in time to rebuff one Heartless which had its claws stretched out for his chest. It was relatively hard to move though, because one hand was firmly grasping Leon's wrist as he fought with the other.

The sound of a gunshot nearly deafened him as Leon fired a shot into one of the other Heartless before slashing through the third. Much to Riku's exasperation, however, more Heartless appeared as soon as the other's had been killed. He didn't even know what Heartless were doing in the portal to begin with! He could only imagine that it was either because of the portal's strange conception or because Xemnas had already been through it, but the dark presence was beginning to become overwhelming.

He winced as one of the Heartless managed to bite onto the arm holding onto Leon. Fighting the immediate response to drop his hand and shake the creature off, Riku attacked it with his Keyblade only to have two jump on his sword arm. He let out a shout as they began to dig into his arm, gritting his teeth as one more Heartless jumped onto him. Leon was doing his best to fight off the Heartless around him as well, but looked over when he heard Riku shout.

"Don't let go!"

Riku really wasn't planning on letting go but his hand was getting sweaty and the Heartless claws were digging in and weighing him down. In a desperate move, he dematerialized his Keyblade and called an orb of dark magic into his hand. It exploded in a small starburst around the two of them but still the Heartless clung on. Apparently they were impervious to the sting of dark magic.

"Shit!" Riku cursed as he finally felt his grip slip away from Leon's arm. Leon attempted to grab for him but he was one inch too far. Riku's aquamarine eyes went wide as he was felt with the sensation of being whipped up by an invisible whirlpool. Without the guidance of an animal spirit he was literally at the mercy of the tunnel and free-falling through the layer of dark fog. The last thing Riku saw of Leon was the lion's shocked face as he was swallowed up by the suddenly non-existent floor.

Riku blinked and suddenly he was falling through a bright, blue sky. Gritting his teeth, he tilted his head back only to see a teal nearly matching the sky getting larger and larger. It took him a second to realize it was the ocean. Two seconds later, he hit water hard, the impact immediately knocking the air from his lungs. He thrashed in the water for a moment to regain his bearings then kicked as fast as he could to the surface. When he broke the surface he spit out a mouthful of salt water only to have a wave crash over his head.

Sputtering, he shook his soaking hair from his face, grimacing as the silver strands stuck to his cheeks and forehead. As he tread the tropically warm water, he looked around at his surroundings. Thankfully, there was an island not a far distance away. It even looked to be the main island of the Destiny Islands chain; it must have been that they were almost through the portal when they had been attacked.

He summoned his strength then started to swim for shore. It took him about ten minutes because of the weight of his clothes and the sting of the salt water on the few shallow wounds he had, but he eventually made it to shore, sore and panting. Closing his eyes, he took a few seconds to catch his breath on the golden beach. His fingers dug into the sand as he coughed up the last of the water in his lungs.

Once he had somewhat recovered, he shakily pushed himself onto his feet to see just where he had landed. He definitely was on the main island. Most of the beaches looked familiar, but he was pretty sure the one he was on was only a fifteen minute walk from his mansion. Taking a deep breath, he spun around to face the ocean then looked up into the air. Leon was nowhere in sight. Riku didn't know what he had expected to see, but his heart did quail a little at the thought of running into Xemnas and Saix by himself. But, there was nothing for it. If Leon managed to reach Destiny Islands, then Riku knew the lion spirit would find him. If something went wrong and he had to backtrack to the spirit world, well, hopefully Sora would think of something. Hopefully nothing bad happened to the lion, but Riku had confidence that Leon could take care of himself.

In his case, Namine was here on Destiny Islands because his brothers had taken her here. If he could locate her then he would be able to get back to Sora and the spirit world.

Right now, though, it seemed as if he was on his own. Riku frowned, grimacing as he took a step forward to find that his clothes were already drying annoyingly rough because of their salt-water soak. He needed a change of clothes, no matter how desperate the need to find Xemnas and Saix. It's not like he knew where they were anyway, so visiting his mansion for a change of clothes wouldn't really hurt his strategy any. And, surprisingly, he kind of wanted to see his family. To pay his respects to…to Kadaj.

Riku's eyebrows furrowed at the thought. Damn, he never thought he would feel grief if he heard that one of his brothers had died. He had resigned himself to hearing that news a long time ago, actually, since his brothers went to so many clubs and drank and occasionally did drugs.

But dying in battle was a different thing all together.

Lost in his thoughts, Riku managed to stumble off the beach and onto a paved road. His steps became steadier as he walked, as he continued to recover from the fall into the ocean. He ignored any and all cars that passed by, though the first had startled him with the noise of its engine. He could only imagine what he looked like; disheveled, clothes rumpled and slightly bloodied, hair all in his face. He would have never been seen like this before. He still cared about his appearance, certainly, but right now he had more important things to do than worry about how random drivers thought of him.

The walk to his home went by quicker than he had imagined. For some reason, when he reached the main gates, his throat tightened with an unidentifiable emotion. It felt so strange to be home again. Of course, it could be argued that this was never really his true home.

Shaking those thoughts from his head, he walked over to the intercom. He had never actually used it before, since the gates had never been closed for him before, so he had to stare at the system for a moment to try and figure it out. After a moment he frowned and pressed one of the buttons. He let out a sigh of relief when his butler's voice came over the intercom.

"Jenovan residence. Who is this?"

"It's Riku. Open the gates. And could you ready a change of clothes for me?"

There was a silence before Riku heard the heavy click of the gates unlocking and a second later, they began to mechanically swing open. Riku didn't bother to wait until they were completely open, choosing instead to slip through as soon as the gap was wide enough.

He had never noticed before just how large their driveway and front lawn were until he had to walk up it. Usually he would have entered the estate grounds by car, he had never actually walked in before. Strange. Still, he was enjoying the greenery and colorful flowers. His father's gardener really did do excellent work; his father must have searched hard for him because the composition really was on par with the palace gardens in the spirit world.

As he walked up the long drive-way, Riku wondered just how he was going to approach his family. Technically, it was his allies that had killed Kadaj; would his father and brothers even want to talk to him? He slowed to a halt at the thought. His father showed no particular interest in taking sides, but surely, if one side killed his son he would get angry. Frowning, Riku shifted in his uncomfortable clothes. He could just see the mansion up ahead, over a sloping hill. Was he going to be welcome there?

"Is the young Jenovan having doubts about facing his father?"

Riku twisted around, blood chilling at the voice. He knew it all too well. His body tensed as Xemnas appeared behind him with a dark orb, Saix stepping out of the nearby trees and bushes.

Xemnas must have seen him tense because a dangerous smile spread across his lips. "Getting ready for a fight?" The spirit's hand was still bloody, most of it hidden beneath his billowing sleeve. Saix looked rather beaten up as well, Roxas had probably given him tit for tat during their fight. "You show so much courage toward fighting your enemy and yet you are a coward when you face your family. You seem to be nothing less than a walking contradiction."

Riku glared at him as he summoned Way to the Dawn into his hands again. The sword was slower to come in this world, the magic felt more sluggish in a way, less reliable. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't still try to fight. "The way I see it," he growled, "You are the coward here because you were the one who ran from the first fight."

A dark aura seemed to grow around Xemnas, dulling the colors of the plants and flowers around them as the older spirit scowled. Riku had just enough time to blink before a red energy sword appeared from Xemnas' good hand and he attacked. Riku grit his teeth and held his ground as their swords clashed. He felt his feet give at the initial impact and he slid back a few steps before he regained his traction and pushed back.

Xemnas' sword was crackling, the red energy showering both of them with red sparks. Seeing that this wasn't going to get him anywhere, Riku gathered his strength for one large shove then jumped back a step. The added distance allowed him to swing his Keyblade again but Xemnas blocked the attack easily.

After one round of strikes left both of them in a stalemate, Xemnas paused then let out a low chuckle, the sound harsh on Riku's ears. "Perhaps," Xemnas said, "It would be more prudent of me to stop this fight now, else I exhaust myself before I reach the rest of your family. I was planning on asking them again to join my side but I think I will retract that offer because of your impudence."

Riku's eyes narrowed as the spirit lifted his bloodied hand. He could feel his heartbeat increasing as a chill began to soak through his body. Whatever was going to happen wasn't going to be good.

"Come, Xehanort's Heartless. Arise again from your forced slumber and take control of your host."

Riku looked down to see that his hands were already shaking horribly. His breathing was coming out faster and shallower now as he fought a mist beginning to overcome his senses. Xemnas was standing smug over him, and when he took a step forward, Riku fell back.

Much to his horror, Way to the Dawn dissolved in his grip as a dark laugh echoed through his head. "_It's been a while, Jenovan, and now its time for my revenge._"

Shit. He was losing control way too quickly if he could already hear Xehanort's Heartless. And why had his sword disappeared?! Gasping in as deep a breath as possible, Riku tried to call his Keyblade back to his hand, but it wouldn't come.

"Your sword won't come to you now, Jenovan. Your precious prince added his light magic to it and with Xehanort's Heartless in control you are far too dark a creature to wield it now."

Riku stared up at Xemnas as the other continued.

"Now that I have you under my power, I will teach you your place. Bow to me, just as all lesser spirits should."

Riku was about to retort when he found his knees falling forward against his will. As his palms hit the ground he realized it was just like that time when he had hurt Sora. He had no control. However he was not going to let that happen again; he had nearly killed Sora and had been forgiven for whatever reason. But he was not going to forgive himself if he destroyed his dignity like this. Even with Xehanort's Heartless, he had too much pride to be Xemnas' puppet.

Clenching his jaw tight, Riku dug his hands against the rough driveway then forced himself up. His mind was fighting against his body, and he struggled inch by inch but he was fighting it. A second later, Riku cried out as a foot came in contact with his rising shoulder. He fell back to see Xemnas' dark expression.

"You still insist on opposing me?" When Riku only glared, Xemnas' brow furrowed.

Finding it easier to move, Riku scooted back. He still felt Xehanort's Heartless strong in his mind, but he attempted to ignore the presence, eyes warily locked onto Xemnas, waiting for the other to make a move.

Finally Xemnas snapped his fingers. "Saix. Rip him apart."

Saix's eyes flashed with a feral glint as Riku paled. As the wolf spirit leapt he scrambled to his feet. With Xehanort's Heartess in his head, moving his muscles was like trying to run through sand but with Saix hot on his trail he had good motivation to sprint as hard as he could toward his house.

He had to find a weapon. He had to find someone to help. His feet thumped hard against the grass as he cut across the lawn, dodging to the side just in time as he heard a pause in footsteps behind him to avoid being tackled by Saix. As the wolf spirit hit the ground just a few inches away, claws flashing, Riku pushed himself harder.

He cursed as he was tackled to the ground a moment later, face crashing hard into the dirt and grass. Gasping, he tried to twist over, crying out in pain when he felt sharp claws digging into his skin. In a last desperate attempt, he blew Saix back with a Dark Shield. It allowed him a second at least to catch his breath but a moment later he found a blue wolf attacking the shield.

His head was killing him, a terrible migraine beginning to swell from the stress of trying to fight back against Xehanort's Heartless. He just wanted to close his eyes and rest. "_Giving up already? How pathetic. I honestly expected more from you after that little display of rebellion back there._"

"Give me a dammed break-!"

Riku was cut off when he heard a crack above his head. He looked up to see that Saix was clawing at his shield and had actually managed to put a dent in the opaque shell. Sucking in his breath, Riku tensed as the crack became larger. The shield was going to shatter soon and he was mentally exhausted. It was not a good situation. He needed help because his Keyblade still wasn't appearing. His mind was racing for options; he was only a few yards from the house. It would be possible to scream loud enough-

He was distracted from his thoughts as Saix lunged at him. By some act of Fortune he managed to catch Saix's muzzle in his hands. The wolf spirit snapped at him, lips curled up around razor-sharp canines as Riku did everything in his power to throw Saix off. Not even a Dark Orb deterred the other spirit from his attack; in fact that last ditch effort only seemed to enrage the wolf more.

Riku felt himself losing his grip and strength fast, fingers clenching the wolf's mane becoming so sweaty that the strands were beginning to slip through his grasp. Suddenly the fur slipped from his grip completely, but Saix was not bearing down to rip his throat out but was instead flying to the side.

He had been rammed to the side. By Loz. "_What an unfortunate turn of events, but don't think you're safe just because someone came to your rescue!_"

There it was. Riku had completely lost control of his body. But it wasn't moving like before. No, Xehanort's Heartless had instead frozen it in place. His entire body was still; he could even feel his lungs and heartbeat beginning to slow to a stop. Xehanort's Heartless really was trying to kill him!

Riku's eyes widened as Yazoo appeared in his field of vision. "Can you stand?" His brother asked coolly.

Riku tried to ask for help with his eyes and it seemed to work because Yazoo turned off to the side. "Loz, something is wrong. Pick him up and take him to Father. I'll take care of this creature."

Only a small grunt escaped Riku as he found himself scooped up by two trunk-like arms. He assumed it was Loz slinging him over his shoulder; he couldn't really tell because he couldn't move his neck. It was a little embarrassing being carried, but the mental distress of being in full paralysis with his organs slowly shutting down had more weight on his mind right now.

Riku could feel his throat constricting, Xehanort's Heartless' laugh in his head as he was carried somewhere. All he could see was Loz's back and the grass rushing underneath them as they ran. It looked as if his brother was still dressed in the battle outfit from the spirit world. Three times he heard the sharp crack of a gunshot from a ways away, signaling that Yazoo was still fighting Saix. Riku tried to keep himself occupied and calm with these sorts of observations but really, he was scared. Feeling his body slowly shut down like this was worse than being stabbed or shot.

He was already gasping for air when Loz suddenly stopped walking. It was hard to focus at this point. He imagined that was because his heart rate was slowing. His blood pressure must be dropping. Shit. He had to get control from Xehanort's Heartless. "_You would do just as well to submit yourself to death. You will be dead before you can wrench the power from my grasp. Such a pathetic death-_"

The voice in his head suddenly cut off with a searing scream, making Riku scream as well as his body switched back over to his own control. His fingers dug into Loz's back and he heard Loz grunt as his whole body heaved, desperate to move its limbs and get fresh air into its lungs. Riku panted as he realized that he could feel a broad hand on his back. He felt exhausted but coughed then craned his head back to see his father standing in front of Loz.

Sephiroth's gaze was hard but unreadable as Riku twisted around, pushing himself away from his older brother. He just barely managed to stand up on his feet as they hit the soft grass, and ended up having to cling to Loz's arm as he turned to their father. He wasn't going to be strong enough to fight Xemnas anymore, but Sephiroth was.

"Father…Xemnas is on the property! He, he wants to kill you, and Loz, and Yazoo…"

Riku trailed off as Sephiroth put a hand on his shoulder, patting it once before the older man disappeared in a flash of black light. Pursing his lips, Riku then turned back to Loz. "We should go and help him."

Loz shook his head. "You go if you want. I'm going back to Yazoo."

As his brother ran back to where Yazoo was, Riku realized that he was going to have a difficult time walking on his own. But, if he took things step by step, maybe he could reach his Father and Xemnas fast enough to see the outcome of the fight. He truly wasn't sure who would win the fight. True, Xemnas was injured, but his father hadn't used his magic or fought in at least four years.

He had just taken three steps down the driveway when a black light suddenly swelled from the tropical trees and plants. Riku watched in awe as Xemnas and Sephiroth suddenly appeared high above his head. They were slashing at each other with lightening speed; Xemnas with his red energy blade and Sephiroth with his long katana. They were fighting at a ferocity that Riku had never seen before, both of them glowing black. Sparks of dark magic showered down each time their swords made contact.

Riku looked down at his hand then tried to call Way to the Dawn to his hand, beyond relief when the sword slowly materialized into his hand. It turned out to be a good idea because right after one of their series of attacks Xemnas turned those amber eyes on him. The next second, Riku found the other dark sprit right behind him, red energy blade at his throat.

It was burning against his pale skin and Riku snarled as he tried to swing his Keyblade back. He managed to land a blow, though he didn't know where as Xemnas grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.

Sephiroth landed right in front of them, his expression deadly. He dug his sword into the ground. "Release my son, Xemnas, or I really will show no mercy."

His voice had been a dangerously low rumble but Xemnas wasn't shaken. Instead, he laughed. "Don't try to fool yourself, Sephiroth. You've lost your edge. Of course even at the height of your strength you were less powerful than me. It would be kind of me to kill all three of your remaining sons simply to end your pitiful bloodline. You should be thankful Kadaj was killed."

The air began to crackle around Sephiroth, the sky darkening above them as a chill swept through the warm tropical air. Riku's face paled as his father lifted up into the air. Xemnas had gone too far. Even Riku knew that. Fighting in Xemnas' grip, Riku finally just swung his head back. His head connected with Xemnas' and the second the other's grip loosened on him, Riku twisted out of his hold.

He kicked away just as dark clouds covered the sun, turning day into night with the same strength of an eclipse. Hovering up in the air, Sephiroth rumbled. "You have taken this too far, Xemnas. I was willing to forget when I left the spirit world but I will not forgive you leading my son to his death. You had no right to mislead my children to your twisted schemes or to implant your perverse Heartless creature into my youngest. Though I made my request for complete disassociation clear when I left, you disregarded my request. Taking my son hostage as you just did has sealed your fate." Sephiroth raised his sword into the air, clouds swirling above its point as thunder rolled across the sky. "You will die this afternoon."

Large orbs of dark magic crackled and grew around Sephiroth, growing to the size of a grown man before they hurtled down toward Xemnas. Riku had to scramble to get out of the way of their large diameter, twisting around quick enough to see them all slam into Xemnas at the same time. The last he saw of Xemnas before they hit was the spirit throwing up a Dark Shield.

Riku bet that wasn't going to be enough to protect him.

Sure enough, the black orbs blasted straight into the ground, so hard that Riku was showered with clods of grass and dirt. Before the dust had even settled, Sephiroth was flying down, not more than a blur as he struck into the crater with his long sword.

When the dust cleared, Riku saw that Sephiroth had buried his sword halfway into an empty crater. Xemnas was nowhere in sight. Both he and his father turned their heads at the same time, both feeling the chill of a dark presence behind them. Xemnas was behind them now. With an almost professional precision, Sephiroth immediately kicked off of the ground, sword glinting as he attacked Xemnas. His father really did have previous military training. The fight was similar to that between Xemnas and Xigbar before, but this time, both were dark spirits, and both were filled with murderous intent.

Sephiroth was landing more hits than Xemnas, and the amber-eyed sprit looked to be getting desperate. When those eyes fell on him again, Riku knew what was coming. Xemnas was coming after him again. Xemnas disappeared in a dark orb and Riku closed his eyes to focus better. It was like when he had been fighting with Cloud, it was more reliable not to use his eyes.

A sudden hint of cold behind him and Riku thrust Way to the Dawn back. He stiffened when he felt something solid form around his blade and heard a low exhale. Already dreading what he would see, he twisted around. He indeed had anticipated Xemnas' appearance but his sword had made it before the other spirit. Xemnas had appeared right around his weapon, spearing himself on the end of the Keyblade.

Riku stared as Xemnas stumbled back before his vision was blocked by a solid body. It was his father. Riku could only listen as Sephiroth gave the finishing blow. He knew when Xemnas had died though. He could feel it. A weight lifting from his shoulders and mind as Xehanort's Heartless completely vanished. He hadn't realized how light he would feel when that parasite finally disappeared. It was such a relief.

After a few seconds of silence, Riku stepped around his father to see that Xemnas really had died; his body had vanished, turned to dust, but there was a red stain on the grass and their two swords were lodged into the ground.

Riku stared at the sight for a moment before his father shifted, the older silver-haired man pulling his sword out of the ground. Footfalls coming towards them caused Riku to look up to see Loz and Yazoo walking to over to them. By their untroubled expressions, Saix had also fallen. With his three remaining sons gathered around him, Sephiroth finally spoke up. "This will be the last time I think of him. It's a tragedy that I had to lose a son in order to finally end this." He looked at each of them with serious eyes. "Never move on without finishing all of your previous business or you will only pay for it later. In a matter much worse than anticipated.'

Riku frowned, tentatively reaching down for Way to the Dawn. The sword was cool but quickly warmed in the palm of his hand. That warmth reminded him so much of Sora. That thought sent a rush of anxiety though him, a need to get back to the spirit world. He bit his lip then glanced up at his brothers. "What did you do with Namine?"

"We only locked her in her room," Yazoo said smoothly.

Sephiroth met Riku's gaze. "I would hope that you would remain here for your brother's memorial though."

"Of course…" It was the least he could do.

Still, Riku had immediately gone to Namine afterward. She had been overjoyed to see him whole and healthy, and to hear that Xemnas was finally defeated. It was clear that she also wanted to return to the spirit world as soon as possible, but the memorial service for Kadaj was going to be held in three days. They decided to wait, mostly because that was what Riku wanted.

Thinking back on his father's words, Riku took the few days before to visit his friends one last time. Again, it was strange to see how different humans really were from spirits, but he tried his best to be sociable and considerate for once. Kairi had been the toughest person to face, only because he knew that he probably wouldn't see her again. He guessed that she knew something was off when he had given her a quick hug at the end of their time together, but she didn't say anything and neither did he.

The memorial service was a solemn and private event. It was mainly his small family, their servants, and a select few of his father's co-workers. Riku could barely look at his casket, but he managed to gather himself to approach it anyway. It felt as if he needed to say a few last words. Biting his lip, he put his hand on top of the casket, pausing a moment before he murmured. "I'm sorry, Kadaj. I didn't want any of this to happen, and I really, I really did think that you were a good brother. I really did…"

"I think he would be happy to hear that."

Riku turned to see Namine at his side, the delicate spirit's black dress strange considering her normal white palette. "I meant it." He stared at the casket for a second then looked back at Namine. "Why is it that Kadaj didn't turn to dust like Xemnas?"

"Your brother was not as tainted as Xemnas." Namine replied, her eyes trained on the casket. "Xemnas, Xemnas had given himself to the Heartless a long time ago. There was barely any humanity left within him, so he turned to dust. Your brother was still mostly whole, if not misled." At his continued silence, she asked quietly. "Do you want to go back to the spirit world now?"

Riku nodded. He really wanted to go back to Sora. The world seemed dull and dark without him, and this memorial service had only made him more depressed. Determined, Riku took Namine's arm and led her to the door. On the way, he caught his father's attention. Sephiroth, who had been speaking to one of his associates, only nodded to them, but Riku knew that his father understood that they would be leaving. Tearful or long-lasting farewells were not part of the Jenovan vocabulary.

Still dressed in their formal black suit and dress, Riku and Namine walked down to the beach on Namine's instructions. She held his hand the entire way there but when they were down on the beach itself let go to explore the area.

Riku frowned as she searched. "Nami, when Leon and I were coming here, we were attacked by Heartless in the tunnel. I'm not sure if it's safe yet."

"Since Xemnas is dead, it's probably fine." Namine's pale eyebrows furrowed as she tip-toed into the waves. "But then again, something does seem a little off. I can almost sense it, but its very weak. We could wait for another portal to appear…but, I think we both really want to go back, right?"

"Right."

"Okay. Well, let me step in first, just to make sure it doesn't collapse first."

Riku watched as she reached forward, touching a patch of empty air to reveal a silvery twisting vortex. She stepped into it first, her body disappearing. Riku waited a moment for her to explore then smiled as her slim hand reached back out for him.

But just as he reached out to grasp it, the silvery doorway sucked into itself, collapsing around her hand. Riku tried to lunge for it but her hand was pulled back into the portal before he could grasp onto it. Heart pounding, Riku lurched forward as the portal disappeared into a shower of glittering lights, crying out as he fell straight through and into the warm ocean behind it.

Starting to panic, he stood up, water washing against his knees and thighs. "Namine! _Namine!_"

He fumbled around for a few minutes but it was painfully clear that he had been left behind. He was stuck on Destiny Islands.

* * *

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	22. Chapter 22

It took a while, but this is the final chapter! Woot! (Minus the bonus chapter, of course, but you're going to have to wait a little longer for that. ^^) Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed for this story; it's totally awesome that we made it over 400 reviews! I love you guys.

So thanks to: A-chan, Taryn Eithne, andhearts, FlyingTackle, Shinimegami7, DieChan, infinityinmirrors, Staple Queen, moontide, CloudedMirror89, LiteraryMirage, NarusaS, LoneBoy7, deludedfreak, Mirror and Darkling, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, Ultima Phoenix, xLion-Heartx, FlurryDivider, Aindel S. Druida, 73n5Hl, Yunie Tatlin, Tangerine342, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, Reno-is-a-Turk, Silver Butterfly07, calmxbeforexthexstorm, Emerald Moonrose.

Thanks everyone!

(Still taking votes for who should star in the bonus chapter, just so you know. I've gotten great replies so far though, so, thanks for the input!)

O

* * *

Chapter 22

* * *

He spent the rest of the day on that beach. In his formal suit, the tropical sun was blazing hot but he still wandered up and down that stretch of sand for hours, continuing to walk well after the sun set. His mind was completely twisted about, but every time he tried to clear his mind to try and weigh his options, he returned to only one thought. Namine was gone. There was a fairly good chance that Leon hadn't made it to Destiny Islands. And Sora had chosen to stay in the spirit world, so they weren't together. He wasn't with Sora. And every hour that passed was a much longer stretch of time in the spirit world.

He stopped his pacing only when his feet had gone numb from walking on the sand for so long. His body was sticky with sweat underneath his silk and cotton suit; neat hair now mussed from the sea breeze and sticking to the back of his neck and forehead. His suit pants had been ruined from their dip in the ocean and subsequent covering of sand.

Why hadn't anyone come for him yet? Days must have passed in the spirit world already because of that strange time split. So where the hell were they?

Feet buried in the sand, Riku ran his hands down his face. He took in a deep breath then let his hands fall down to his sides. He was exhausted. And clearly, no one was coming back for him today. Not knowing what else to think, too tired to think, to even begin to speculate what had happened or what he was supposed to do, Riku began to walk home.

The roads were empty. Of course, it had to be at least nine at night. Riku didn't have a watch but with the sun rising and setting in this world he had found that he actually had a relatively good sense of time. This side of Destiny Islands was mostly privately owned, the beach the portal had been on nestled among a large number of estates owned by the island's finest. Like the Jenovan family. The tourist parties, and all of their cars, would be on the opposite side of the island, where all of the hotels and clubs were.

So he enjoyed the quiet walk. He used it to try and quiet his thoughts, to silence his panic. He really wanted to go back to Sora. He had been more than ready to see the light-hearted prince again.

The loss of that opportunity was a terrible feeling.

When he got to his house, he was buzzed in through the gates and trudged up the driveway again. Thought it was night-time and everything was dark, the air was still warm and fragrant from all of the flowers. And it felt safe this time, because he knew that there was no Xemnas or Saix, or any other dangerous spirit he would have to worry about. Now it was just him and his family stuck with a bunch of humans.

The family butler met him at the front door. Riku handed him his suit coat. At the older man's raised eyebrow, Riku chuckled weakly. "Follow me to my bedroom and collect the rest of the suit. I doubt it can be saved but try to send it to dry cleaning anyway."

"Of course, young master." As they were walking up the curving grand staircase, the butler spoke up again, his voice curious now. "Did you forget something in your room?"

Riku glanced back questioningly. "What are you talking about?"

"Master Sephiroth mentioned you and Namine were leaving for the mainland to be trained to command his overseas operations. I had not expected you home so soon."

Riku hummed. So that was the excuse his father had made up. It made sense that he would have had to come up with one, since Namine wasn't here anymore to erase any memories. Thinking fast, he answered the man's questions. "I had a few things I still wanted to talk to Father about, so I stayed on the island the last minute."

"Ah, I see. Very well then, will you be interested in breakfast in the morning then?"

Riku paused for a moment then nodded. "I think so."

"Very good."

When they got to Riku's bedroom the first thing he did was change into his silk pajama pants. A shirt wasn't needed in the tropical, warm night. He passed his dirty suit to the butler than closed his bedroom door with a quiet "goodnight.'

As he got into bed, he found his room almost foreign to him. He hadn't been expecting to stay another night in it; he had already mentally prepared himself never to see it again. But now here he was, lying on his bed and staring up on his ceiling.

It was nearly impossible to get any sleep that night. As he had expected. That's why he had agreed to breakfast in the beginning, because he had known that he would be well-awake for it.

Riku waited until the sun had rose before he pushed himself out of bed and took a long shower in his en suite bathroom. He remembered the last time he had actually thought about the state of his bathroom, how he had wanted to have it completely redesigned. Whether or not his bathroom was high fashion didn't really interest him anymore though. After spending so long in the spirit world without the luxury of warm water and shampoo, he was just content to have working plumbing.

After a long shower to waste time, Riku dried off his hair then got dressed in a casually fashionable outfit. Everything he had in his closet looked good on him, so it wasn't as if he really had to care about that.

His father was the only one at the breakfast table when Riku finally came down for breakfast. Not that that was anything new; generally all of Sephiroth's sons slept in as long as they were allowed. Sephiroth had recovered fully from his fight with Xemnas. So fully, in fact, that it seemed as if he had forgotten the entire event ever happened. He never mentioned the matter, and he looked healthy as ever. Any wounds that he had sustained had completely healed in the few days since the fight or else were well covered by layers of his professional suit.

Sephiroth looked up from his newspaper and coffee when Riku walked into the room. His expression didn't change, there was no surprise in his eyes, but he did set his paper down onto the dining table, gaze fully on his youngest son.

There was a moment of silence, broken only by the scraping of chair against rug as Riku sat down at the table. After a sip of coffee, Sephiroth rumbled. "I suppose something did not go as planned?"

Riku sighed. He accepted a plate of food from the maid as she scurried into the room, waiting until she had left for the kitchen again before replying quietly. "Yeah, something went wrong. Namine just stepped into the portal to make sure it was stable or something and then it just, collapsed. I couldn't step into it in time before it disappeared completely." He bit his lip, poking around at his plate before he sighed again and looked back up. "I waited the rest of the day, but they didn't come."

"That in itself is not so surprising." Sephiroth set his coffee down and laced his fingers together, looking completely the part of the serious businessman. "Portals between dimensions had always been a subject for study in the spirit world. From what I can remember, research showed that portals are random. If your friends have not come for you, it may not be entirely of their choice. The chances of another portal appearing among Destiny Islands would be similar to the chances of lightening striking the same point twice."

"But they could land somewhere else in this world and just travel here to get me, couldn't they?"

"Conceivably."

"And Xemnas and Vexen were able to make that last portal themselves."

"I've never heard of such a thing. No doubt that is one experiment that will not be repeated since the original concept was dreamt up by a madman."

That was the closest Sephiroth had come to referencing Xemnas. Riku frowned. "Then how long am I supposed to wait?"

Sephiorth met his son's gaze, the color of their eyes nearly identical. "Patience, Riku."

Riku snorted and took his first bite of his meal. He should have expected a response like that. But he wasn't used to being patient. Besides, he was Sora's _Guardian_. Without him, Sora would be without protection. Who knew who many Heartless and dark creatures were still twisting around that castle? Everyone else was busy with taking care of themselves and Sora was just dense enough to get himself into a mess he couldn't handle.

Suddenly feeling sick to his stomach, Riku dropped his fork down onto his plate with an echoing clatter. He didn't even know how his allies were handling those spirits who had been loyal to Xemnas. Marluxia and Vexen might have given themselves up, but what about Xaldin and Larxene? What if they attacked when the others weren't expecting it-?

"Don't concern yourself with worrying about matters outside your control."

At his father's words, Riku lowered his forehead down against his clasped hands after pushing his plate away. His father didn't understand. He couldn't help but be concerned, he was a Guardian…

"Although you have accepted your position as Guardian to the prince, there is nothing you can do about it in this world. Your connection to him should be minimal, at best, so luckily you should be completely free of that bond while the two of you are in separate worlds."

Riku stilled at those words. That's right. He didn't feel that same connection anymore. But…if it wasn't his Guardian instincts, then the strength of his concern terrified him. If he was so in love with Sora that he couldn't eat at the thought of the other being hurt…he was in deep trouble.

Shit. He really wanted to see Sora. He wanted to protect him from everything. He wanted to hold him and never let him go, to kiss him and watch the other's face glow. They had never really gotten a calm moment together, when they weren't worried about their survival. All the small kisses, the touches, the words so far were definitely not enough.

…

Someone from the spirit world better come for him fast because he was completely, uselessly, too deep in love.

That afternoon, Riku went back to the beach, even though his father said that the portals appeared randomly. He really was at a loss as to what to do; it felt like the purpose had been ripped away from his life. He was supposed to be a normal, rich, teenager again but he had almost forgotten how. The only thing he could think of to do was to come back to this beach.

He would be starting school again tomorrow. Though it seemed to him as if he'd been gone for months, in the reality of this world, he had only missed about two weeks of school. He had thought about arguing against school because he knew he was going to go back to the spirit world soon, that someone would come and get him soon, but had dismissed that thought. He had no idea how long it would be until he could go back to that world. For the reputation of the Jenovan family, he couldn't just drop out of school during his wait time.

At least he was dressed in proper clothes for the beach this time. With a sigh, he sat down on the dry sand, only a few feet away from where the waves were washing up.

He still had some hope that Leon had somehow made it onto Destiny Islands. Though the scarred man hadn't shown up yet, in either lion or human form, it hadn't been too long. Just a few days. When he thought about it hard, there was doubt that the lion had made it to the islands at all. But hey, that hope had kept him going for a little while now. He could hold onto it for a bit longer.

Frowning, Riku clenched his hands experimentally. At least he could still feel that soft tingle of magic. He had that much. He would have to make sure to exercise his magic while he waited though, otherwise he might become rusty. And as Guardian for the Crown Prince, he had to be the best of the best. Even while away from the others, he would continue the training that Cloud started.

Riku wrapped his arms around his legs as he drew them up to his chest. He really wanted to go back to the spirit world.

* * *

…

Two Years Later

…

* * *

Riku closed his laptop as the professor dismissed his class for the day. As he was putting it into his messenger bag he felt a presence approach him and looked up to see two girls walking up to him. Both were the blond, sorority type of girls, well tanned from the beach with bodies build to show off string bikinis. The bolder of the two stepped forward. "So, um, Riku. We were wondering if you had any plans for tonight?"

Riku raised a silver eyebrow, taking the time to remove his reading glasses before he asked cooly. "Why?"

"Well, we were wondering if you would, you know, like to go to the beach tonight? Us and our friends are throwing a huge party, with a bonfire and booze and everything! Having you there would just make everything so much better, you know? Everyone would come then!"

Riku stood up suddenly, cutting the girl off halfway through her speech, his backpack slung over his shoulder. "Not interested. I've got more important things to do than waste my night drunk on the beach."

The girl wasn't taking no for an answer though and latched onto his arm, making the other girl giggle nervously. "Come on, Riku. You have to have fun some time. Its like, what happens if you died tomorrow, you want to live each day to its fullest, right? Besides, you don't have to get totally drunk, no one will pressure you to drink more than a few beers."

Grimacing, Riku shook her off, brows drawn together with irritation. "Are you an idiot? I said no. Ask again and I'll call the police on your party."

As they left the lecture hall, Riku caught sight of Kairi waiting for him outside by a palm tree. When she saw him coming out, she smiled and started to walk over to him. Riku used her to his advantage and separated himself from the other two girls without another word.

The two girls must have had fairly disgruntled expressions because when Kairi reached him her expression was troubled. "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt?"

"Hardly. They were trying to get me to go to some party on the beach."

Kairi relaxed, linking her arm with his as he led her away. "You could have said yes."

"And risk getting caught drinking underage? Please. I wouldn't allow myself to be embarrassed like that."

With a light laugh, Kairi shook her head. "Sometimes it seems as if you really have grown up like your father."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're so serious nowadays." She pursed her lips together. "Ever since, ever since Kadaj died, even before that, you just…changed."

Riku frowned. "Back then you said the change was for the better."

"I know. But, you're just so serious now. It's as if you don't even try to have fun anymore."

Riku couldn't argue with that because it was true. He really didn't bother having fun anymore. The passed two years had been the longest years of his life. He had graduated high school with top grades because after being stuck on Destiny Islands he had focused on his studies. Now he, along with Kairi and others from his high school, was in the most prestigious college on the island chain, and he had definitely changed during that time.

Now nineteen, he was a sophomore and living in a studio apartment near the campus. He had considered living at home, but honestly, though he and his family understood each other more, he still didn't get along well with Yazoo and Loz. He also felt the desire to prove himself to his father, to show that he was an adult who could survive perfectly well without a mansion or butler or maids. That didn't mean that he didn't accept monetary assistance. No, he was too used to high standards to live like an average college student strapped for cash.

But still, moving out was more than any of his older brothers had ever done.

He wouldn't say that he was bitter about having to live so long on Destiny Islands. Honestly, he had been angry for the first few months that no one came for him, but after that, things had just sort of gotten numb. Okay, so he might still be slightly bitter.

He had grudgingly returned to living the life of a human, though he lived it much more seriously than he had before he was sent to the spirit world. His reputation was now that of a serious student, potential heir to his father's business empire despite the fact that he was the youngest. He never went out to parties, never went to clubs. He wasn't an obnoxious snob anymore, but he heard that people still complained about him being too aloof. Though most people thought this meant he stayed holed up in his studio apartment all the time in reality he would often sneak down to the beach to train with his Keyblade.

He could still summon that into his hand at least. And he trained hard with it. At the least, he knew that he wasn't getting rusty, but he hoped that he was getting better. He didn't dare ask his older brothers or father to help him train. He had tried once, and the request had been returned with icy indifference. It seemed as though that everyone else in his family had put the spirit world well behind them.

A tug on his silver hair, which he had pulled into a ponytail for class, brought Riku out of his thoughts. Hissing, he looked down to see Kairi smirking up at him. "What is it?"

"Do you have any plans tonight?"

"In half an hour, my physics lab starts, and that will take three hours. After that, no, I don't have any plans in particular. Why?"

"If you're not going to that party, you should come to my house. My parents won't be home, so we can watch movies as late as we want."

"Sure. That sounds good enough." Though he and Kairi had never dated again after their break-up in the hospital, they had remained close friends. Riku was very grateful for that. As it turned out, he discovered that he had very few true friends. The crowd of people he always had around him during high school had left him after learning that he wasn't going to do anything for them. Some acquaintances, like Tidus and Selphie, seemed genuinely interested in spending time with him, but more often then not if he hung out with anyone, it was Kairi.

Kairi smiled. "Great. I can tell you all about this guy I met in my Psychology class!"

"Looking forward to it…" The sarcasm in his voice was obvious but Kairi only giggled. It was good to see that she had recovered from the break-up at least.

"I'm sure you are. I'll let you go to your next class though. Wouldn't want the great Riku Jenovan to be late!"

Riku shook his head with a small smile as she pulled away. She always added a bit of excitement to his life. But now, as she said, it was time for Physics. Readjusting his messenger bag on his shoulder, he began to saunter toward the science building.

One good thing about going to college in Destiny Islands was that the walk to his classes were always rather enjoyable. He was a little warm in his designer jeans and shirt but that was perfect. He liked the heat, liked feeling warm since his dark magic was such a cold element. Being warm and being in the sun, soaking in the light, it felt good. It was a bittersweet reminder.

He arrived at the science buildings with a few minutes to spare but it was better to be early than late. Riku entered the lab room and took his regular seat at one of the high tables. He was just pulling out his laptop when he felt a slight tingle in the back of his mind.

Riku froze at the sensation, long fingers still holding the laptop halfway out of his messenger bag. After a long moment, he finally shook his head. He imagined things like this all the time; but that wasn't going to distract him from his class.

A few people filed into the room and he tried to compose himself so as not to look bad in front of his fellow students. He was just calming his mind back down when another shock shot through his body, the strength of it forcing him out of his seat, laptop falling out of his hand and onto the table top. He stood shaking for a moment, knowing that his classmates were staring at him.

He knew that feeling. It had been a long time since he had felt it, but his body remembered the sensation. He let out a long breath as his hand lifted to cover his chest, placing it over his heart. It was the same feeling he had had whenever Sora was near. But…why was he feeling it now?

When another shock wracked his body he snapped. Sweeping his laptop into his bag, he threw it over his shoulder then bolted for the exit. He nearly ran into the professor as she came into the classroom, side-stepping her just in time with some muttered excuse. He had to leave. Now. He hadn't felt that sensation in two years and if Sora had finally come to get him then God, he had to find the young prince.

Running out of the building, he paused at the steps leading down to the courtyard, trying to still his very breath to concentrate better. That tingling connection was still in his mind, faint as it was, no more than an itch. But it was there, and if he focused hard enough, he might be able to find its direction.

…There. Directed toward the beach. It was that same connection. He knew it was.

Heart pounding in his chest, he ran for his car. It was his same silver sports car, fully repaired, and it roared to life seconds after he threw his messenger bag on the passenger seat. His movements were frantic as he jerked the car into reverse, the car flying out of the parking lot. Though his college was only a half-hour walk from the beach, he wasn't wasting any time.

His hands were sweaty as he drove, making it difficult to grip his leather steering wheel. What was he going to say to Sora? Would the prince still even look the same? Was Sora still going to return his affections or had he found someone else to take care of him during their separation? After all, it had been many more years in the spirit world, decades, probably. Somehow Sora had managed to live without him. Had he lived happily?

Riku didn't even know how he was going to greet the other boy the first time he saw him. It was a little embarrassing, he had never felt so nervous before. But the embarrassment was met with a giddiness which was equally foreign but much more welcome.

The drive to the beach front lasted only ten minutes. He was shaking by the time he found a parking spot, irritation rolling off of him from the fact that it was so crowded by tourists. Stepping out of his car, he ignored all the looks of awe at his car and appearance. He was used to the stares of admiration because he had been raised in a high-class environment. Instead, he looked around for any sign of spiky brown hair.

He could still feel that connection. It was even stronger now; he could almost feel the Prince's warm aura. Closing his eyes, he dipped into dark magic which he hadn't used for those two years. It took him a few seconds longer than when he had been fighting in the spirit world, but he gathered enough to send it out in a ripple, the same radar technique he had used to find Sora before.

A rush of information came back to him. There were a lot of people, but they were all human. The dock was especially crowded, which made sense considering it featured a sort of boardwalk, but…no light magic. Riku's eyebrows furrowed; where was Sora? He could feel the connection, but, it was still too unstable to actually locate him. In the spirit world, where there was magic floating everywhere, the connection had been much stronger, but here, where the air was devoid of any magic, it was harder to navigate.

But still, he had to look. He knew Sora was there. He could feel it.

He locked his car then headed out for the dock, senses peaked as he searched for Sora. There were hundreds of people and he literally had to push his way through some clusters of tourists, eyes sharp and trained on faces. That connection was still in his head, the same tingling sensation.

There was no sign of Sora on his first search of the dock, but he wove up and down it two more times just to check. Still, no sign of Sora. No one looked like the prince. No one had the right shade of brown hair, or eyes that even slightly rivaled Sora's blue ones. No one shone the same way. It should have been easy to spot a spirit among these humans, they would have even unintentionally shone and would have drawn just as much awed attention as he was now.

After combing the beach around the dock as well, Riku finally walked back up onto the dock and dropped down onto one of the wooden benches. He buried his face into his hands. He had spent the entire afternoon looking for Sora based on a small feeling. He had skipped class and blown off Kairi but nothing had come from it. Maybe the feeling in his mind wasn't at all like he had experienced two years ago. It had been a long time after all; why had he been so certain that it had been the same?

Was he really so desperate to see Sora again that even after two years he would drop everything just at the smallest chance of seeing the prince again?

Yes. He really was that desperate. As bitter as he was for apparently having been forgotten, he could never be angry at Sora. Even if Sora was the one who had decided not to send for him, he would forgive him.

But he couldn't keep acting like this. He would have to put the spirit world behind him if he was going to lead a sane life, otherwise he would never get any peace. His father had managed it somehow and his brothers were on the path of forgetting. After this incident, he knew he would have to resign himself to a life here in the human world. He'd go insane otherwise.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Riku looked up at the quiet question, his fingers carding through his silver bangs as he lifted his head up. A woman was smiling down at him, pretty in her yellow sundress. A small girl was clinging onto her skirt, an ice cream cone in her other hand as she stared up at him curiously.

Riku managed a smile, hoping it looked reassuring as he straightened up. "Yes. I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

The girl blinked, looking up at the older woman before she looked back to Riku and held out her ice cream cone to him. Riku chuckled at the sight as the woman giggled lightly then shook his head. "No thank you. I think you are enjoying it far more than I would." Somehow ever since he had returned from the spirit world children had been much more tolerable. Maybe it was because their innocent happiness reminded him so much of Sora.

Smiling softly the woman put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Come on. You still want to try some carnival games before we leave, right?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically. The woman gave Riku one last glance but apparently sensing that he didn't need her help, she led the happy girl away. Still smirking, Riku shook his head then rested his forehead against his interlaced hands. He should really get to Kairi's house. Apologize for being late. He'd have to get his homework from his class as well. So much trouble for going out on a stupid whim.

Riku blinked as an ice cream was suddenly pushed under his hands and into his line of vision. Slightly annoyed, knowing it was the little girl again, he sighed. "Look. Thank you, but I don't want any ice cream."

"But you look like you could really use it."

Riku's head snapped up, eyes widening to see a pair of bright blue eyes smiling down at him. It felt like the air was knocked out of him and he could only gape stupidly as Sora himself leaned down over him. The face was a little older and the eyes a little wiser but it was still Sora. Sora's smile widened at Riku's obvious shock then cried out when Riku suddenly grabbed him and pulled him down onto his lap.

Not even caring where the ice cream had gone, Riku grabbed Sora's chin and twisted it toward him, pressing his lips to Sora's soft ones. Sora squeaked against his mouth then after a moment melted in his grasp and kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Riku's shoulders.

When Riku pulled back, Sora was glowing in his arms. Smiling, he pulled Sora's head against his chest to hide the glow from the humans on the dock and to bury his nose in the prince's brown hair, which seemed to have actually lightened a few shades since he had last seen him.

"Sora…."

Riku's voice came out a whisper. It felt as if saying the other's name too loudly would make him disappear. If this was a daydream then he never wanted to come to his senses. He hadn't felt this warm in two years.

His eyes fluttered open when he felt two smaller hands on his face. Sora was crying, trails of tears running down his cheeks as he smiled. Riku frowned, combing his hand through Sora's spikes. "Why are you crying?" He rumbled.

Sora shook his head then buried his face into Riku's shoulder, hands clutching onto Riku's shirt. Riku just held on as well, head spinning. He had Sora in his arms. Adorable, cheerful, loving, Sora. Suddenly a thought came to him and he pulled away, kissing Sora's forehead. His voice was still rough with emotion and he found himself trying not to cry. "How did you get here?"

Sora nuzzled into Riku's neck, the contact sending a shiver down Riku's back. "…Cloud brought me…"

"Cloud?"

"Mm-hmm." Sora shifted, curling up tighter on Riku's lap as he whispered. "I missed you."

Riku pursed his lips then sighed. There was no reason to try and play cool now. "I missed you too."

"Really?"

"Of course. I waited for a long time…"

Sora pulled his head away at this point, eyes showing surprisingly extreme guilt. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. When Leon came back, and told us that the portal had fractured, and then when Namine came back alone, I was so worried! The portal disappeared and we had to wait for one to open again. Then some things came up but we always were tracking the portals. It took so long for one to appear after that last one had fallen apart!"

Riku frowned but put his finger to Sora's lips. The prince was rambling. As soon as Sora was silenced, Riku switched his finger for another kiss. He was a little irritated to hear that Sora had other things to do that took priority, but he wasn't going to let that ruin this reunion. "…Are you going to take me back with you?"

"You want to come?"

"You sound surprised. Of course I want to come back. I want to be with you. I've already told you that I love you."

Sora blushed, a soft glow shining through the pink. "Then, come back with me. Please. I love you too!" Riku hummed thoughtfully as Sora grabbed onto his shirt again. That's right, Sora had said before that he had loved Riku for a long time. Riku remembered; how could he forget a confession like that?

He startled Sora when he stood up but managed to wrap his arms around the other's waist to keep him from falling over. Though he was still taller than Sora, the prince had definitely grown a few inches. It was a bit of a surprise, but the new height suited his matured face. As they stood up together, Riku realized for the first time that Sora was wearing beach clothes; shorts and a nearly blinding red and yellow pattered shirt. He chuckled smoothly, tugging on the loud shirt. "What are you wearing?"

"I traded some shopkeepers for it for a gold coin I brought! Axel said they would accept gold here. It's so light and airy!"

Riku shook his head. "I think you were cheated out of some good money." Not even the other's noisy outfit could keep him away from draping his arm over Sora's shoulder. The contact, that just felt right. "So, is the portal far?"

"It's a while down the coastline. I love this island though. Everyone's so friendly and it's so warm and sunny! I was absorbing so much light that my magic was all over the place, so I'm glad that there are only humans here. I'd be so annoying otherwise!" So that was why Riku was having a hard time pinpointing Sora's presence. It was saturated all throughout the air.

"We could always stay here for a while then," Riku suggested smoothly.

Sora shook his head with a smile, shyly taking Riku's hand as they left the dock. People were looking at them, but their gazes were warm rather than disgusted. It wasn't rare to see two men together on the islands. "Cloud wouldn't allow it! He's already grumpy at having to come here for so long."

Riku was about to retort when he noticed that there was some commotion going on out in the parking lot. Near his car in fact. Frowning, Riku strode forward to see that the attention was not actually on his car but the giant dog lying in its small shadow, looking wholly displeased. It was Cloud.

Seeing that some people looked concerned, understandable since Cloud was a wolf and not even on a restraining leash, Riku hurried forward and stepped over the furry body to unlock his door. Cloud glared at him, not moving an inch until Riku muttered. "Get in. I can blow cool air on you if you're hot."

Covered in a thick coat of fur, Cloud quickly jumped into the open door, taking his place in the back seat as Sora tentatively peeked inside the vehicle.

Seeing the other's hesitation, Riku smiled. "Come on in. I can take us to where the portal is much quicker than you can walk."

Sora slid into the car, sitting carefully in the car seat as Riku got into the drivers seat. Both he and Cloud stiffened when the car started but after a moment of hearing the rumble of the engine, slowly relaxed. Riku made a mental note not to rev the engine as he pulled onto the main street.

After a moment of thought, he pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket, glancing down to scroll through his contacts before dialing and putting it on speaker phone. Sora stared at it curiously as the sound of ringing filled the car. A moment later, Kairi picked up on the other end.

"_Hello?_"

"Kairi. It's Riku. I wanted to call to say that I'm going to have to cancel our get together tonight."

"_You? Cancel? How come?"_

Riku glanced over to Sora, smiling smugly. "Introduce yourself."

Sora blinked then tentatively leaned toward the cell phone. "H-Hello? My name is…Sora Fair." The pause had been an obvious choice to withhold his royal title.

There was a pause before a sudden feminine shriek cut through the silence. "_You're Sora? Sora's here?! That Sora, Riku, the same Sora that you told me about?_"

"Yeah, Kai."

"_You're not leaving now, are you?"_

"If things go right I am."

"_You'll come to visit me though, right?_"

"When I can. I'll do my best, Kai."

"_Okay. I understand. Be careful and have fun. I'm really happy for you, Riku! Someday you're going to have to visit and tell me everything, but for now, have a great time!_"

"Thanks, Kairi. I'll talk to you later."

After the conversation ended, Riku slid his cell phone shut. Sora waited for a second then asked quietly. "You told someone about me?"

"Just Kairi. She was one of the few good friends I had and I didn't tell her much. All I said was that I had fallen in love with a boy named Sora during the time when I had disappeared and that when Sora came back for me I would probably leave Destiny Islands immediately."

Sora flushed, falling into silence again for a few moments before he asked. "…Do, shouldn't you tell your father that you're coming with us?"

Riku pursed his lips then chuckled low. "I suppose I should. Once we get to the portal, I'll take a few minutes to call him and arrange for my car to be picked up."

"Are you really okay with just leaving like this?"

"I've waited long enough already."

Behind him, Riku heard Cloud let out a quiet snort. Riku ignored the sound, not even taking the time to glance back at the large mass of silver-blond fur in his backseat. He was thankful that Cloud brought Sora back to him but he wasn't enjoying having a chaperone lounging behind them as they spoke. For instance, if Cloud had not been in the backseat, Riku would have used the stoplight they just came to as an opportunity to reach across and kiss Sora again. As it was, he kept on glancing across to the other boy, fingers itching to wrap around the other's body again. But he'd have to wait thanks to Cloud's overbearing stare drilling into the back of his head.

The rest of the ride was quiet but quick, Sora spending most of his time staring out at the tropical scenery and Riku focusing on his one or two word directions. Everything was so surreal at this time; it hadn't quite sunk in that _Sora_ was in his car and that he was going back to the spirit world.

When Sora finally told him to stop, Riku found that they were on the interior of the island, facing one of the largest areas of nature reserve on the island. Nothing but a tangle of trees, flowers, and volcanic rocks scattered under thick, green leaves.

As they got out of the car, Riku stepped to the side to allow Cloud room to jump out then turned to Sora. "We can go after we call my dad, alright?"

Sora nodded, glancing down at Cloud before he smiled back at Riku. "Then I'm going to scout ahead to remember where the portal is. What about you, Cloud?"

Cloud just snorted and shook his head. Clearly the wolf spirit wasn't interested in doing any extra exercise in the heat of the islands. Riku was surprised that he wasn't panting heavily by now, as dogs usually did when they were hot, but Cloud seemed to be resisting if only for dignity's sake.

Sora didn't seem to approve of Cloud's decision to stay behind if the expression on his face said anything, but after a second, he turned and walked into the forest anyway. As Riku lifted the phone to his ear, he wondered why Sora wanted to go on ahead then realized that Sora was probably trying to give him some "alone time" with his father. That was sweet, though unnecessary.

"_Good afternoon, you have reached the Jenovan residence._" It was the family butler.

"This is Riku. Can I talk to my father?"

"_One moment, I will connect you to his study._" That was one of the perks of being rich; there were phones everywhere. Riku waited only a second for the line to transfer before his father's deep voice came over the speakers. "_Yes?_"

"Father, it's me." He took a breath. "Sora's here to pick me up."

"_Ah. Very well. I suppose enough time has passed._" There was a pause. This really was harder than Riku had expected. It wasn't as if he could hear any emotions in Sephiroth's voice, but still. "_Do you need anything before you leave?_"

"Not really. I am going to need someone to pick up my car though. We're in the interior of the island, along the eastern border of the larger reserve, just a few miles down the road." He frowned thoughtfully, voice lowering as he murmured. "I want it kept in the garage, and kept up since I'll want to use it when I come back to visit."

"_Understood. I'll keep you to your word. Good luck, Riku._"

"Yeah, thanks. And thank you, Father, for everything."

He heard his father give a low chuckle and with a final goodbye, he hung up. As he did, he felt a presence against his back. Twisting around, he saw Cloud, fully human, arms crossed, glaring up at him. It was somewhat satisfying to see that he had grown another inch above the wolf spirit, but that clearly wasn't intimidating Cloud.

Frowning, Riku put his hand on his hip. "What?"

"Stop emphasizing how long you seemingly had to suffer here. You don't know what Sora had to go through to come for you."

"What are you talking about?"

Cloud shifted, glancing over Riku's shoulder as if looking for Sora. His voice was quiet, low but indignant. "Sora sacrificed everything for you. The last few years the spirit world has repopulated and demanded that he become King as tradition requires. He has endless meetings and paperwork but he checked daily with Zexion if there was a portal or not. He even tested with manufactured portals again when natural ones failed to appear. He barely slept because he was so worried about you. He hasn't seen you in decades, so don't you dare make him guilty saying that you feel abandoned."

Riku was shocked that Cloud had spoken so much, but when it concerned his half-brother, Cloud had always been overprotective. But, about what Cloud had said…it was true, with the time shift, Sora had been waiting a good deal longer than he had. And Riku had lived an easy enough life, but it sounded as if Sora had been completely overwhelmed.

"Have you finished talking to your father on that box?"

Riku twisted around to see that Sora had stepped out of the bushes. Seeing the prince, no King, walking toward them, Riku walked forward and met him halfway. He took a second, just to look at him. He really was beautiful but Riku only noticed now that he did look more tired than what Riku remembered, more worn and showing the signs of stress.

Sora blinked up at him, tilting his head to the side as Riku reached up to comb his fingers through his spiky hair. "…Riku?"

Riku snapped out of his trance then smiled down at him with his usual confidence. "Come on, let's get going. When we get back to the spirit world I'll be able to help you out with things."

Sora blinked again then smiled. "Alright."

"I love you, you know that, right?"

Grinning, Sora stood up on his tip-toes to kiss Riku's lips. "I know. And I love you too-"

Riku grinned as Cloud suddenly forced his way between the two of them, the man's voice a quiet growl. "Enough of this. Let's head back before any more time passes."

"Jealous?" Riku chirped.

Cloud snorted. "Of your puppy love? I don't think so. Now come on before I leave the two of you behind."

Shaking his head, Riku only smiled as a grinning Sora took his hand and started to follow Cloud into the trees. He had a feeling that his life was going to get very interesting from now on. But the most important thing was that he was going to be with Sora, behind his charge every step of the way. As Guardian he would be the new King's constant shadow, and perhaps he would be something even more as his lover.

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	23. Bonus Chapter

Alright. Back in action. Sorry for the short break in story, dudes. T-T I actually have an excuse. I had a two week deadline for creating a 12 page manga. And, well, I don't draw whole comic pages that often. I managed, but just barely. But, I eventually pulled myself together and wrote this for you! Because I promised and it was fun for me as well. Ah, hopefully I came out okay. Here's hoping! Once again, my editor is still MIA, so, if you see any glaring mistakes, let me know kindly, because I still don't edit it myself! (I'm so lazy ^^;)

Anyway, thanks to: calmxbeforexthexstorm, Nierx, DieChan, Ultima Phoenix, Shinimegami7, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, FlyingTackle, Vedensolina, infinityinmirrors, A-chan, Mirror and Darkling, LoneBoy7, Yunie Tatlin, Silver Butterfly07, CloudedMirror, xLion-Heartx, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, OtakuLady, neyma, LiteraryMirage, 73n5Hl, Aindel S. Druida, FlurryDivider, Suguri Takeuchi-chan, DeNiSaY60, Kurotorachan, Zeal - the Hollow Fairy Wolf!

So many reviewers! I'll try really hard to get back to everyone but it might take a few days! You all rock, dudes! I love you all and hope you enjoy your winning pair!

O

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Bonus Chapter: Zexion and Demyx

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It had been four months since Sora had returned with Riku in tow, the young king happier than he had been for years. The kingdom itself was also flourishing, faster than anticipated. Spirits seemed to be appearing from thin air, flocking back to towns and villages after having gone into hiding in the woods and mountains for so long. That small population was also beginning to repopulate said towns rapidly; the kingdom had an unusually high percentage of children. With all that said, food production was up thanks to all of the earth spirits engaged in farming, business was having its own little renaissance, and the mood was generally positive and enthusiastic.

These things were, of course, all on Zexion's mind as he flipped through pages of information. Sora might be busy as the new king, but Zexion had been busy as well. Sora had promoted him to his direct advisor, much to his astonishment. His first words of advice had been not to promote people so haphazardly. After all, he hadn't always shown his best characteristics to Sora and his friends. At the time of the rebellion he had in fact been looking out for himself before anything else.

Sora had only laughed off his admonitions though. According to him, Zexion was the smartest person he knew. The best candidate for his lead advisor.

Zexion had never felt so much pressure but the challenge itself was a thrill.

He was doing his best to serve the new King and the palace staff. With a kingdom to rebuild and reform, it was impossible to do otherwise. Not only did he review all of the more mundane facts like how much food was produced for the month, but he was also in charge of the intelligence; it was his job to know all of the intrigues and who was saying what and how they felt about the new rule.

He oversaw the world from the shadows and advised Sora as well as he could, thoughts always filled with continuously updating facts and opinions. And as much as he didn't understand Sora's choice, he had to admit that he loved his new job. It occupied all of his time and energy but he needed something like that. A plus was that he had been able to stay in his beloved library instead of being part of the court life. Now that Xemnas was gone, he had been able to rearrange his favorite room as he wished. Now the library was decorated with his paper creations, geometric forms hanging from the ceiling like stalactites, twisting forms in the corners which moved on carefully balanced fulcrums, paper birds fluttering above his head. It was all nothing but a mass of paper scraps brought to life by his illusionary magic, but still, it enabled him to look at something interesting when he had a moment to glance away from his work.

At the moment, it was a fairly easy day. The town that had formed right outside the palace walls was planning for a festival in a few weeks; they had just submitted an official request to have the King and Prince Roxas present. Zexion looked down at the request. He knew Sora would be thrilled. Roxas, maybe not so much. The younger prince was growing up to be more stoic than his older brother.

Speaking of Roxas, he was supposed to be training his swordsmanship with Xigbar at the moment. The leader of the guards had thrown himself into training the two royal boys. Zexion couldn't say that it was necessary anymore, but a well-rounded ruler was better than not. Zexion sighed and pushed himself out of his chair then walked to the library window. He could see the training grounds adjacent to the barracks down below and pushed the glass pane open to get a better look at it when he saw motion. It would be interesting to see how Roxas was progressing in his fighting technique. He imagined that Xigbar would be a rather tough teacher.

But it wasn't Roxas. Zexion's eyes narrowed when he saw Sora sprint into the center of one of the training rings. Even from this distance he could tell the young man was laughing and a second later Riku flew into the ring, Way to the Dawn in his hand. Sora quickly called his Keyblade into his hand and before long the two of them were sparring. Zexion noticed though that they seemed to be more interested in playful banter than exchanging blows.

His eyebrow twitched when he saw Riku lean in intimately close over the king. He didn't need to know exactly what they were doing right now but the point was that Sora was _not_ in the throne room as scheduled. And Roxas was gods-only-knew-where. Probably with Axel. Zexion sighed, sometimes it was a pain having princes with such reckless Guardians. At least Riku was somewhat responsible. But that didn't get him out of trouble for somehow smuggling Sora out of the throne room.

Pursing his lips together, Zexion reached into his cloak and pulled out a blank piece of paper. He always kept several sheets just for moments like these. With a murmured spell to breathe life into the scrap, he tossed the paper out the window. It instantly sprang to life, fluttering over the rooftops as it headed toward the training grounds. He watched as it reached Sora and Riku, the two distracted by…less-than-innocent kissing. The paper trembled in the air before it suddenly unfolded and filled the training grounds with Zexion's voice, so loud that Zexion could hear its echo from up in his library.

"_Your Majesty, I do believe you are supposed to be in the throne room right now. Please cease your flirting and return before your subjects and members of the court miss your presence. You're not scheduled for the training grounds until next afternoon._"

Zexion almost smiled as he watched Sora cower against Riku, shocked by the sudden noise. He couldn't see their expressions because of the distance, but he knew they weren't happy. That was too bad for them. If he had to work then so did they. Riku didn't even have to do that much, just sit next to the throne and look imposing.

Sometimes his job really did seem like he was more a nanny than an advisor though. But, at least Sora and Riku had left the training grounds. He left the window open and walked back to his desk. A little fresh air would do him some good.

Dropping back down into his chair, he frowned before pulling out another piece of blank paper. Grabbing his quill, he scribbled a quick, "_Find Xigbar. Get to the training field" _onto it then folded it in fourths. He set it in the palm of his hand and murmured another spell. Again, the paper fluttered out crack. It would find Roxas eventually, no matter where he was.

After that letter was sent, Zexion bent over his papers again. Even though there wasn't much urgent to do, there were still a lot of things he _could_ look at. He definitely needed to schedule the rest of the month's activities for the two royals. The parties they were going to, important figures they needed to meet. People he himself needed to speak to. Meetings they all needed to go to.

Zexion was able to work for nearly in hour in peace. He had just finished scanning intelligence one of his men had gathered from a village near the mountains when the faint sound of music caught his ears. His eyebrows drew together as he bent further over his desk, trying to tune it out.

Five minutes later and the music hadn't stopped. On the contrary, he could still barely hear it, but it was impossible to ignore now, an annoying little itch in the back of his mind. His grip was getting tighter and tighter on his quill until he finally snapped it in half. The sight of the broken pen finally set him off and he slammed the remains on the desk and pushed himself up. Enough was enough.

Stomping back over to the window, reprimanding himself for leaving it open, he stuck his head out, brushing his violet hair behind his ear. His anger stuck in his throat then, when he realized that the music wasn't just from any instrument.

No, it was a sitar.

Zexion pursed his lips together, hands on the window pane, ready to close it. But his fingers were frozen in place. He had grown too fond of the sound of the sitar. The thought that it could be a certain water god playing it sent an electrical charge down his body.

Maybe it was time for him to take a break. Just to see if it really was Demyx. The water god really didn't have any reason to be here though. By all accounts he was happily lording over his swamp still, which had attracted a large amount of people over the years. His old town had been completely filled again. Zexion had assumed that Demyx had been content staying at his home, taking care of his new friends. At least, Zexion guessed that Demyx had already become fast friends with the new village. He was uncannily friendly.

Feeling suddenly shy, Zexion left the library, pulling his cloak tighter around him. Despite the regime change, he had still kept his old uniform. Everyone had individually told him that he could change his clothes, but Zexion really felt most confident completely covered up. He had never had an attractive body, always so small and thin and pale, so it was just easier for him to conceal himself. It was natural to him too, since he was a spirit of illusions and shadows.

As he was walking through the second floor hallway, he passed by a series of open windows that looked down into one of the gardens. Aerith and Marluxia, who had been cleared of his past connections because of his decisions during the final battle, were tending to the gardens well, and they were flourishing now more than ever. The sight down in the garden made him freeze though.

Demyx was sitting on a stone bench in front of a series of rose bushes, the spot obviously chosen because of the small fish pond close to his feet. But the water god was truly captivating. He had his eyes closed, his sitar balanced on one thigh as he strummed it slowly, as if caught up in his own world. Now that Zexion could hear it properly, the song really was beautiful. It was slower and more serene than anything he had heard the water god play before, but it was still beautiful.

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and he drew his cloak closer about him as he hurried for the nearest staircase.

It wasn't until he reached the arch that led into the gardens that he stopped in his tracks. What was he doing, acting like some teenager in love?

Zexion frowned and pulled himself together, squaring his shoulders. He lifted his hand and cast an illusion of invisibility over himself before tentatively stepping into the courtyard. He didn't know why he was being so secretive, but it suited him better than running out with some silly smile on his face.

He drew his illusion close to him when he rounded a bush and saw Demyx sitting on the bench. He was coming up from behind the water god and like a ghost he glided forward, listening to the sitar's tune. He had never considered himself a music lover, but he knew that this was a good sound. It lulled him, calmed his rapid thoughts so much that it frightened him a little.

Suddenly, the music stopped. Zexion's eyes widened as Demyx lifted his head and turned to the side, gaze sharp as if he had heard something. But Zexion knew that he hadn't made a sound, if nothing else the illusion spell muffled that sort of thing. He had designed it that way.

"Zexion, are you here?"

Zexion gasped, the shock of the identification momentarily causing his spell to flicker. Demyx seemed to have caught the slight movement because he smiled brightly, the expression lighting up his entire face. He set his sitar down then stood up. As he stood, Zexion couldn't help but notice that the blonde spirit was looking healthier than ever. He was still lanky and tall and had that ridiculous hair style but his blue eyes were shining even his skin seemed to be glowing. His clothes also were more form fitting now, new and brightly colored in teals and blues and completely fitting his vibrant personality. The last peaceful years had clearly done him well and Zexion realized that it really had a long time since they had seen each other.

Demyx was looking straight at him now, even though he had rebuilt his spell around him. He looked like an eager child. "Zexion, I know you're there. I'm a god, you know? I can sense the water in your body. Can we talk?"

Feeling sullen for having been discovered, and embarrassed for some reason beyond his comprehension, Zexion nevertheless dropped his spell and stood awkwardly in front of him. Demyx seemed ignorant of any uncomfortable feelings though and ran forward, throwing his arms around Zexion and pulling him into a tight hug.

"It's been forever since I've seen you! Still as mysterious as ever, right, Zexion?

Zexion could only manage a small grunt in return, his breath and ability to speak swept away in Demyx's hug. He could feel Demyx's warmth, his heartbeat against his palms as he pressed against the other's chest. It was too much, he couldn't think straight.

Demyx pouted as Zexion shoved him away a full arm's length. Zexion ignored the other's expression though and crossed his arms after running his fingers through his bangs to make sure they were properly covering most of his face. It was much easier to conceal his flustered face that way. "I don't know where you got the idea that we were intimate enough to greet me in such a way."

"Aw, we've been through so much together. I think I can give you a hug. We owe each other our lives after all."

"Hm." Huffing, Zexion flushed behind his bangs. _He_ really hadn't done anything to save Demyx's life. He hadn't even played that large a role in the rebellion at all. The fact that Demyx mentioned that meant that the water god was either teasing him or sorely disillusioned.

Turning around, he began to walk back toward the interior hallway, Demyx following with a bounce in his step. "So what have you been doing all this time?" He asked lightly. "Have you been here in the palace this whole time? How are Axel and the others? I really should have come here sooner because I know that he's going to lecture me about leaving everyone alone."

For some reason, it was irritating to listen to Demyx talk about Axel. He knew that those two spirits had been friends for a long time but…really. Zexion's brows knit together and he sped up his pace. "If you came here for Axel, go ahead and find him. When you do, tell Roxas that he's shirking on his training with Xigbar. They're sure to be together."

"Wait, Zexion." Zexion's irritation increased when he felt a hand grasp the back of his cloak. "I'll go find him later, but…I wanted to talk to, to you, if you had the time."

Zexion stopped in his tracks, causing Demyx to run into his back. Ignoring the contact as Demyx jumped back, Zexion looked back over his shoulder. "Why would you want to talk to me?"

Zexion watched as Demyx actually _blushed_ and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well, I want to get to know you better. You seem to be a really great person but I've never had a good chance just to talk to you."

With a sigh, Zexion turned back to stare at the palace walls. Anything was better than that pitiful expression on the water god's face. Besides, inside, he was happy by the other's words. But he couldn't let that happiness show on his face. He couldn't lose his composure like that. "Fine, we can talk. But let's go up to the library."

"Okay!"

The trip to the library seemed longer to Zexion. When they passed a few servants it was difficult to retain his usual mysterious and cool personality with Demyx bouncing along side him, the grinning water god dressed in such bright colors with a sitar slung over his shoulder. It didn't help that the blonde spirit was rambling during their walk, talking about apparently everything he had ever done during their time apart. Just because Zexion was listening to every word the other spirit said didn't mean that he necessarily enjoyed the constant conversation.

When they finally reached the library, Zexion could feel his hands shaking. He was so _nervous_. He hadn't seen this person in so long and now he was allowing him into his library, his private space that barely anyone entered.

He heard an intake of breath behind him and turned around to see Demyx looking around with wide eyes. Again like a child. "Wow. It's amazing in here. This is where you work?" He lifted his hand to gently touch a paper bird as it fluttered passed his head.

"Yes." Zexion sauntered over to his desk, sitting down as gracefully as he could. This position allowed him to hide the faint shake of his hands underneath the lip of his desk. "I tend to spend most of my day here. Those," he motioned vaguely to the paper decorations. "Are merely my distractions. It would be best if I just got rid of it all."

Demyx shifted his gaze from the bird flying around his head to Zexion. "No! Don't do that. Your magic is amazing. I've never seen anything like it."

"Indeed. It's quite unique."

The truth was that Zexion hated his magic. It was _too_ unique, too strange. He was neither an elemental nor an animal spirit, somehow he had been "gifted" with something indefinable and in between. He could control what people saw, what they sensed. There was nothing elemental about that, it was just something strange and twisted. Until he had been able to channel his magic into paper, it had been nothing but chaos at his home. He had been amazed when the former king Zack Fair had hired him on as a servant in the palace, even more shocked when Xemnas had promoted him into the library when he had gained power. It was then that he learned that his intelligence really was superior to others, and that he could offer advice that others would actually follow.

"Oh, yeah, Zexion, look, I brought you this."

Zexion snapped out of his thoughts to see Demyx walking over to his desk with something in the palm of his hands. He set it down gently on the wood and as he removed his hands Zexion could see that it was a beautiful piece of quartz, carved into a bowl shape with an elevated platform above. It was delicate and small and Zexion could only watch as Demyx happily poured a bit of water into it from the water skin he had tied to his belt.

The water immediately began to flow down off the platform down into the bowl, pumping back up to the platform with magic alone. The sound produced was nothing but meditative and Zexion felt his whole body relax a little. Demyx smiled at the reaction. "Do you like it? I made it myself. I've been playing around with this sort of thing recently. Unfortunately, it only works when I'm in the area. It's a problem I haven't quite worked out!"

Zexion gave one hallow chuckle as Demyx laughed at himself. The little fountain was beautiful, but it represented magic far beyond his capabilities. It wasn't an illusion of water defying gravity, it was actually water. It was real, and while Zexion could mimic the sight, he could never hope to fully replicate it.

He looked up at Demyx. As carefree and young as this spirit appeared, he really was the master of his element. Suddenly embarrassed by all of the paper toys around them, Zexion stood up, the move surprising Demyx.

"I do have work to do today, Demyx. Was there anything you wanted to speak about in particular?"

Demyx frowned, blue eyes showing a hurt which cut into Zexion. But which, at the same time, annoyed him. Demyx was a god, he shouldn't be bothered with spirits like him. So, instead of bending to that expression, he held his ground and his sharp gaze.

Demyx shuffled his feet almost nervously. "There…wasn't really anything in particular. I just, wanted to see everyone. All my friends are here, sometimes I think that I should just move to the palace, you know?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You live in that swamp for a reason. You need that water to function properly, isn't that right?"

"Y-Yes." Seeing that Zexion was walking around the desk, Demyx hurried to meet him. "But, Zexion, I really would like to see everyone more often."

Crossing his arms, Zexion looked up at the taller spirit, his head only coming up to the other's chest. "Well you can't live here, you wouldn't be able to sustain yourself. Perhaps I could arrange time for Sora, Roxas, and their Guardians to visit your home for a while."

Zexion froze as Demyx saddened again then suddenly reached out, the musician's long, thin fingers lifting to push his curtain of violet bangs away from his face. Demyx's expression was soft. "And what about you?"

He jerked his head away from that touch. It was too affectionate and was distracting him again. "Me?"

"Yeah. Would you come to see me?"

With a sigh, Zexion shook his head. "Your hospitality is so overzealous some times. In any case, it's not a matter of whether or not I could go. I have so much paperwork to go over its amazing I even have time for sleep. My schedule wouldn't permit such a long vacation." He wasn't lying. Unlike Demyx, who apparently had all the time in the world, he did have work to do. While it was probable that the palace and kingdom could survive without him for a few days he imagined it would be very awkward to spend any lengthy time with Demyx. At the least, Demyx would probably realize just how dull a person he was. He looked back up at Demyx. "Now, I would appreciate it if you allowed me to return to my work. When you find Axel, do tell Roxas to return to his schedule. I sent him a note a while ago but I still don't hear anything from the training grounds."

Demyx looked a little lost for a moment. Zexion had made it sound like a definitive dismissal on purpose and it was clear that Demyx sensed that. But still, the water god was reluctant to leave for whatever reason. Finally though, after a few seconds of silence, Demyx nodded. "Alright. I'll leave you to your work then. But I might come back to see you, okay?"

"Do as you wish." Zexion backed up to sit back down into his chair. "I'm sure the others will be overjoyed to see you."

Demyx managed a small smile. "Yeah, probably. So, uh, see you later?"

"Most likely." Zexion bent down over the paperwork on his desk until he heard the door to his library close. When Demyx finally left, Zexion let out a deep sigh and dug his fingers into his hair. Once again, he was horrible when it came to interacting with people. He hadn't meant to make Demyx upset, but at the same time, it would be far worse for him to reveal his own feelings. Especially when it came to his slight attraction toward Demyx.

He bit his lip at the thought. It was true. He had to come to terms with the fact that he became distracted around Demyx because he was attracted to the water god. But he had a job to do, no time for such juvenile sensations. Besides, though Demyx seemed to be friendly with him, the water god was far too important to actually have a relationship with him. Zexion couldn't allow that sort of breach in status, and would have to treat it as he did Sora or Roxas' schedule. With calculated indifference, looking out for their best interests only.

Zexion made sure to spend the rest of the day inside his library, not even daring to leave for lunch. He didn't want to see Demyx, especially not when he would undoubtedly be chatting animatedly with Axel and the others. He did however, move the small fountain closer to his workspace, glancing over to it far too often. It flowed constantly, the water shimmering in the quartz bowl.

When Lexaeus hand-delivered his dinner, he learned that Demyx was leaving for his swamp. Lexaeus leaned against the corner of his desk, the bulky man's head scraping against the paper decorations hanging from the ceiling. "You're not going to see him off?"

Zexion didn't even bother to glance up from his book. "I think not."

Lexaeus' deep voice hit his ears again. "I saw him at the dining table during meals. He seemed quieter than I remembered."

"He seemed fine when we spoke this morning. His normal carefree self anyway."

"Perhaps you said something which upset him?"

Zexion frowned, finally looking up from his book and meeting Lexaeus' gaze. "If he is pouting, it is no concern of mine. He could do with feeling some disappointment in his life every so often, though I wouldn't think that my busy schedule should be so surprising to him."

Leaning down, Lexaeus glanced at the book before Zexion could pull it out of sight. "A book of short stories is not necessarily what I would call work. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were avoiding Demyx."

"Think what you want."

"Zexion, I have known you ever since you arrived here at the palace. I know you can feel inadequate from time to time but if you like Demyx then I can think of no reason why you shouldn't spend time together." Zexion frowned with annoyance as Lexaeus tapped his forehead. "You don't have to only work. If you want some time for yourself, I know that the king would allow it."

Zexion snorted. He had no doubt that Sora would allow it. But he had to keep up his image, and that did not include behaving like some love-sick idiot.

Sensing the other's mood, Lexaeus only shook his head then pushed the covered tray he had brought closer to Zexion. "Very well, I won't bother you about it any more. Just put that tray outside when you're done with it or better yet return it to the kitchens yourself."

With a nod from Zexion, Lexaeus finally took his leave. Zexion only looked at the fountain Demyx had given him. The water was still tricking down from the top platform. Zexion wondered just how long the fountain would continue to work. Demyx had said that the water would stop flowing if he wasn't near, but the water god's magic definitely had to have a good range.

For hours, Zexion watched the fountain. Slowly, the trickle of water began to slow, finally stopping during the late hours of the night. So Demyx had finally left the area. For some reason, Zexion felt extremely disappointed. Collecting his empty dinner plate, he had eventually forced himself to eat, Zexion shut his book then left the library.

The hallways were dark as he walked through them, reminding him as the night always did of Xemas' reign. Nonetheless, he still felt comfortable, his feet having memorized the path to the kitchen long ago.

On the way there, he stopped in his tracks when he heard a strange noise coming from one of the hallway's alcoves. He frowned, no one should be up at this time of night, and if they were, they certainly weren't going to be hiding in one of the palace's many corners. There were still reports of Heartless skulking around, and that was his first thought as he tentatively approached, readying himself for an attack. But as he carefully peered around the corner it wasn't a Heartless that he saw.

No, it was Riku, pinning the young king against the marble wall. Kissing him quite forcefully. Sora appeared to be enjoying it though, if his fingers intertwined into the other's silver hair and soft glow meant anything. Still…when he heard Sora let out a soft moan, Zexion stepped forward and cleared his throat loudly.

Sora let out a strangled noise of surprise, shoving Riku away, his cheeks bright red. Riku glared over at Zexion, his embroidered tunic conspicuously rumbled, the top lacing undone. For someone who had recently returned to this world, he had adjusted to the fashion and life extraordinarily well. "What do you want, Zexion? Can't you see we're busy?"

"Firstly, such activities should be done in a private room, not where anyone could see. Secondly, where is your crown, Your Highness?"

Still blushing, Sora reached up to touch his brown spikes. "I left it my room. We were just going to grab a late-night snack but, uh, we got a little…distracted?"

Riku wrapped an arm around his charge, brazenly pressing his lips to the king's forehead. Ever since he and Sora had returned from Destiny Islands, they had been much more affectionate toward each other. Riku especially, though with his growing intimacy toward Sora, he had regained a cool indifference to everyone else. It suited his post though, as Guardian for the king it was right that all of his attentions should be focused on Sora. Interestingly, his attitude toward the general population had become very much like how Sephiroth had acted; the only difference was Riku's kindness to his charge and a few lucky others.

Zexion could at least say that he still respected the young dark elemental, despite his haughty attitude. "Distractions or not, either return to your task or go back to your room."

"Ah, yes. Sorry." At least Sora listened to him. "Come on, Riku."

Riku's expression softened when Sora grabbed his hand and pulled him away, though he still managed to give Zexion an annoyed glare as they brushed passed him, heading back to the royal wing. Apparently they didn't want that snack so much after all. Glancing down at his own empty dinner plate, Zexion sighed and continued on to the kitchen. Though Sora and Riku were undoubtedly heading to bed, and most everyone else was already asleep, he knew that he would be awake for a long while to come. His mind, as usual, was far too active, but this time, it wasn't because of work.

Two days after Demyx's visit, it began to rain.

It matched Zexion's personality. He knew that he was snapping at Sora and Roxas more often, but it seemed as if everything was irritating him. It didn't help that he couldn't focus on his paperwork at all. Instead, his eyes would keep flickering up to that accursed fountain. He knew that it wouldn't start working again for a long time but, still, his eyes kept going to it. He had considered storing it somewhere in the depths of the library, but when he had picked it up to move it, his hands had only brought it closer to his line of sight.

Most of the time, when he wasn't looking at the fountain, he was looking out the window at the rain. The clouds were dark, nearly black, blotting out the sun. Rain was pouring down in sheets, the wind sometime blowing so hard that the rain almost fell sideways.

He didn't mind the weather since he hardly went outside, but after a week of constant downpour, others were beginning to get restless. The palace was holding out alright, though Zexion heard that Marluxia was complaining to everyone he met about the state of his mud-filled gardens. The town on the other hand…

Zexion pulled away from the window as he heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

He was surprised when Leon walked into the room, the lion's clothes and hair soaked and plastered to his body.

Before Leon could say anything, Zexion held up his hand. "Wait. Don't come in any farther. This is a library, I won't have anything getting wet."

Leon snorted. "Do you have a towel?"

"Of course not. Why didn't you wear a cloak to keep dry?"

"I did. It's hanging in the entry hall." Sighing, he ran a hand through his wet, brown hair. "Zexion, we need some relief aid in the town. Cloud and I are doing the best, but buildings are flooding and streets are literally washing away."

Zexion frowned, returning his gaze to the storm outside. "Take Lexaeus for the day and have him lead a party of earth spirits to create drainage ditches and embankments. Have you spoken to Sora or Roxas yet?"

"Not yet. I wasn't sure where to find them this time of day."

With a soft hum, Zexion paused a moment then nodded. "Very well, let's go look for them. At the moment, both Sora and Roxas should be in the throne room with the rest of the court." They probably were anyway. It was a constant struggle to locate the two royals when they were occasionally shirking their duties, but, with the rain, there was no where for the boys to escape to. "Other than the rain, how is the reconstruction going?"

"Well enough." Zexion glanced over to the lion to see him scowl as they walked. "Or at least, it was going well until the rains hit. We had just finished our own house and the neighborhood but now even our roof is beginning to leak."

Leon and Cloud had taken it upon themselves to head the reconstruction of the town and now lived there permanently. Zexion had to admit, the two animal spirits were a good match for one another. They had equal temperaments and goals in life. Everyone had thought that Leon would have requested to become Cloud's Guardian, but Leon had surprised them all by taking one step further and had proposed that they get married instead. Well, it hadn't been as romantic as that. He and Cloud had just visited the palace one day and had announced that they were mates.

As they neared the throne room, Zexion broke their momentary silence. "As I said before, you can have Lexaeus accompany you back to the town, but I feel this is something Sora should attend to personally. He hasn't had enough difficult situations in his career yet."

"He is young and has just started ruling; it's probably better than way. Thankfully, you've been taking good care of things."

Zexion hummed thoughtfully in response as he pushed the double doors open and stepped into the throne room. It was as crowded as Zexion had ever seen it. There were at least a few dozen spirits milling about in their fine court outfits, a stark contrast to Zexion and Leon, one soaked and in street clothes and the other in a long, black coat. Nonetheless, equally indifferent to the spirits around them, Zexion navigated the way through the masses to the front of the hall.

Breaking through the last row of court members revealed the thrones, where Sora was sitting in the king's throne, wearing his crown and expensive clothes. Roxas was sitting beside him in a smaller throne; as the new heir to the throne he was still expected to attend these court sessions. And flanking them on either side were their Guardians, Riku and Axel, looking almost like opposites of fire and ice with their different dispositions. Zexion could see why not many people had been complaining about Sora's inexperience, when all four of them were up on the dais, they made a stunning image.

Sora visibly perked up when he saw them coming forward, hopping out of his chair. "Zexion!" His eyes widened as he saw Leon over Zexion's shoulder. "Leon! What are you doing here? How's Cloud?"

Sora actually managed to bring a smile to Leon's lips and Zexion watched as the young king ran over to the lion, about to launch into a hug before realizing that Leon was wet. Patting Sora's shoulder, Leon answered his questions. "Cloud's fine. I'm visiting because of the weather."

"Apparently the town is being washed away," Zexion added.

Sora frowned when he heard this, blue eyes troubled. "I thought it might come to this. It's been raining for so long and the soil around here really isn't that stable. Has anyone been hurt?"

Shaking his head, Leon crossed his arms. "No. There has been some property damage, but that's the extent of the damage so far."

"That's good."

"Aren't there any water spirits living in the town?" That had been Roxas speaking up from his throne. The blond had matured since their rebellion against Xemnas but still showed no interest in taking the power from his brother. He seemed content enough to live as a prince. "They could help with the flooding, couldn't they?"

"We do have some water spirits, yes. But they are all low level at best. Most of them are children who have yet to go to any sort of formal magic training. They couldn't deal with the amount of power it would take to disperse clouds like these. Most of the town is comprised of animal spirits though."

"Well," Sora put his hands on his hips, thinking hard. "I'm sure Zexion has already suggested something, but I think the best course of action is firstly to make sure everyone is safe. After that, we should wait out the rain and when it ends, I'll send some of the palace staff into town. They can make note of the damage done and the palace will pay for the repairs."

Zexion lifted an eyebrow. "Will we now?"

"Of course! We told everyone that site was a good place for settling. This rainstorm is proving that we were wrong though. Though we can fortify the ground after this is over, we shouldn't make those who settled under our good word to have to pay for something they never saw coming. Besides, we've stored away some money for emergency relief, haven't we, Zexion?"

"I believe we have, Your Majesty." Though he spoke to Sora casually in private, in the court setting full titles were proper. "If that is your wish, I will arrange for the proper team to go to the town after this storm clears."

Sora nodded, "It is. Besides, that's where Cloud and Leon live, and I want to help them out as much as I can. They're family after all."

With a soft chuckle, Leon stepped forward. "And we thank you for your generosity." When Sora grinned wider, Leon smirked and lowered his voice. "By the way, Your Majesty, I would consider changing into a high-collared tunic if you get a break."

Sora froze then flushed red, hand flying up to cover his neck as Zexion glanced over to him. He was able to see the red kiss mark a second before Sora covered it up. Behind the young king, Roxas snickered, earning a pouty glare from his brother. "At least I'm not pretending I don't love my Guardian, unlike someone."

Roxas sputtered as Axel perked up next to him, the redhead looking like a pleased cat as Roxas got redder and redder.

Sensing an impending argument, Zexion scowled. "I would suggest that we hold this type of conversation until you are in a more private setting."

With both royal boys blushing, Zexion turned back to Leon, who was smirking. When he caught his gaze, Leon straightened up. "I think since I can almost feel myself drying off, it is a perfect time to walk back to the town. Either me or Cloud will contact you if anything serious happens with the floods, but we'll otherwise see you after the storm ends."

Zexion nodded and after farewells were made, he took his own leave from the throne room. There was no need for him to be among so many people, and no need for him to baby-sit Sora and Roxas.

He spent the rest of the day in his library. Lexaeus didn't bring him dinner so he assumed the large spirit had indeed been kidnapped by Leon. It didn't matter, he wasn't all that hungry anyway. No, his attention was still on that fountain and the sound of the rain outside. It was just his luck that the one time he didn't want to think about Demyx, he was surrounded by water.

The rain stopped three days later and by then, everyone was ready to see clear sky again. And the sky did clear abnormally fast too, it went from clouds to sun in only a few hours.

Zexion was hit full-force with that sun he woke up to find the glare right in his eyes. With a grunt, he waved his hand, creating a black shade over the window as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He had fallen asleep at his desk. Blinking, he ran his fingers down his face; how embarrassing.

He had never fallen asleep at his desk before.

But, if the sun was shining in his eyes, then why could he still hear water? Rubbing his eyes, Zexion got out of his chair and stumbled over to his window. Without dropping the shade from the glass, he peered out over the palace grounds. It wasn't raining anymore. In fact, it was late enough in the day that the sun had dried all of the roofs. Pursing his lips, he turned back to his desk. Then he froze.

The fountain Demyx had given him was flowing again.

His fingers gripped onto his cloak as he ran back to the window. Not caring about the sun, he threw the pane open only to get drenched in water. Falling backwards in shock, Zexion stared as a geyser of water shot up passed his window. His eyes widened when Demyx suddenly pulled himself out of the water, climbing happily into library threw the open window. When he caught sight of Zexion though, dripping wet and on the floor, he gasped and hurried forward. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you'd be right there! Hold on a second." He held his hand over Zexion's chest.

Zexion stared up at him as the water on his body collected into the other's hands, after a few seconds leaving him perfectly dry. Smiling sheepishly, Demyx ushered the water he had collected out the window then grabbed Zexion's arm and pulled him onto his feet. Still in a state of shock, Zexion could barely react as he fell into the god's arms, head spinning when the other laughed nervously.

"Sorry about that entrance. I just…really wanted to see you again! I know it really hasn't been that long…"

When his voice trailed off, Zexion glanced up at Demyx's face to see that his gaze wasn't on him but something over his shoulder. Turning as much as he could, Zexion colored when he followed the other's gaze to the quartz fountain. "Ah…that…I was, I was going to find a good place for that…"

When he got no response, he looked up at Demyx again to see that he was grinning ear to ear. Zexion frowned, alarmed by the expression and his own growing emotion, and tried to push away. Demyx, however, wouldn't let him, quickly wrapping an arm around his waist. "You kept it!"

"Of course I did, it was a gift, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but, you moved it closer to you!" Zexion remained silent and Demyx laughed. "You're so cute!"

"Alright, that's enough. Let me go this instant!"

Demyx only shook his head and dipped his head down to peck Zexion on the lips. The contact nearly caused Zexion's mind to completely shut down. There was a shudder all around them and suddenly all of the paper decorations fell down from the ceiling, completely coming undone in his moment of weakness.

Cursing, Zexion raised his hand to block his head as Demyx did the same, the blond even giving an amusing yelp. Once everything had fallen down, Zexion straightened up, brushing scraps of paper off of his shoulders before his fingers flew to his lips. "Damn, look what you did."

"I did that?"

Zexion looked up to see that Demyx looked genuinely upset. "Those were ongoing spells. When I lose control of them, they fall apart. I can put them back up just as easily though."

Demyx sighed with relief. "Good. They were so beautiful, I thought I'd really messed up. Oh, come on, I want to show you something!"

Zexion cried out as Demyx suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the library. Zexion had no idea where they were going but Demyx kept them on the upper floors as he raced along through the hallways, somehow knowing exactly where he was going.

When Demyx finally stopped, Zexion was panting, not used to so much exercise since he had returned his library job. He was just about to berate the lanky water god when Demyx pulled him to one of the windows. "Look out there!"

Zexion tentatively approached the window then felt his eyes widen, exasperation bubbling up inside him. "_What did you do?_"

"You were right when you said that I couldn't live without the water of the swamp, but I really like you. So, I moved my water here!"

The window was a view out over the palace walls. Where that little stream had been, where Riku, Axel, and Cloud had sneaked in so long ago, there was now a giant lake. Zexion barely registered that Demyx was still talking.

"I didn't want it to be so dramatic, but I had to get the water here somehow, so I just turned it into rain then collected it here." There was a pause. "Uh, Zexion? You're not mad, are you?"

Zexion closed his eyes, letting out a low breath. He twitched as a hand fell on his shoulder. Yes, he was mad. That storm had caused a great amount of damage. Damage the palace would now be paying for. Of course it had been Demyx's fault, only a god could cause that much trouble without even thinking twice about it. He jerked his head up, ready to chew Demyx up. But then he came face to face with those blue eyes. Damn, those eyes were better at pitiful expressions than Sora. He tried to retain his anger but it was bleeding away quickly.

Finally, he let out a breath and leaned against the wall. Demyx was going to be the death of him. "No, I'm not angry."

"Really?"

"Don't push your luck."

Demyx grinned and leaned over him. "You're really amazing, Zexion. And smart, and cute."

Zexion covered his face with his hand. "Where did this even come from?"

"I've always felt it, ever since I first met you. I just couldn't bring up the courage to tell you sooner. Which is why I have to tell you this now," Demyx clenched his fist. "While I still have the courage. You know I'm a coward, so take pity on me! This is taking everything I have!"

Zexion closed his eyes then chuckled, speaking up when he could find his voice. "You're a god. Why should you be scared of me?"

Frowning, Demyx grabbed his arms. "Zexion. Please, I did this," he waved out to the lake beyond the window. "For you. So I could be with you. Please, can't I stay?"

"I don't think I have the power to stop you, do I?"

Demyx seemed to take this as a positive statement. "And can I see you? Romantically?"

"Don't push your luck." Zexion repeated weakly. When he only heard silence, he added grudgingly. "So long as it doesn't interfere with my work, I suppose…it wouldn't, it wouldn't hurt."

The smile on Demyx's face was enough to make Zexion's heat flutter but he buried the feeling as best he could. He had a feeling that Demyx was slowly going to win him over, and that worried him. If Demyx was already constantly on his mind, he hated to think what it would be like if Demyx actually lived in the same proximity. But, maybe, just maybe, he could learn to balance work and a relationship. It would be a new sort of challenge, but it sounded like just as much a thrill.

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	24. New Story Notice

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Sorry to disappoint any and all who thought that this was a new chapter. I do have some good news though! I have a new story going! Woot! It's called "The City is at War." I'm jumping into a new genre again but I think that you guys might like this one too. ^^ I hope so anyway. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that it's Leon/Cloud this time! They're one of my favorite pairings, but this story will definately also have others! (You should know by now that I can't help myself.^^)

Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know since I know its sometimes hard to keep track of what authors are doing all the time.

Thanks for reading all of my stories, dudes. You guys are totally awesome! ;)

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